Seoul hosts South Korea's first feminism book festival

The first-ever feminism book festival, titled ‘Text Hip X Feminism’, was held at Marronnier Park in Hyehwa, Seoul. Organized by the Seoul Women's Association and its affiliated Unnie-ne Small Library, the event brought together 17 publishers and independent bookstores focusing on women's lives and gender issues.

Nearly 400 attendees participated in the festival, which included book exchanges, reviews, and a talk show. The event aimed to challenge the view of women's reading as a mere consumer trend, instead framing it as a form of solidarity and resistance. Cultural critic Son Hee-jung spoke at a talk show, suggesting that the ‘text hip’ phenomenon—the trend of valuing reading—is linked to political power and fandom rather than just capitalist consumption.

Participating entities included publishers such as Bom Alarm, Sagyejeol, and Dongnyeok, alongside various independent bookstores. The festival's slogan, ‘When a woman learned to read, women's problems came out into the world’, emphasized the transformative power of female literacy.