From a Single Book to the World, K-Content: K-BOOK to the WORLD

2026 K-BOOK to the WORLD, a four-part journey that begins with books

The special exhibition, “From a Single Book to the World, K-Content: K-BOOK to the WORLD,” held in the exhibition hall on the first floor of the National Library of Korea’s main building, ran from July 28 to October 6, 2026. Viewing hours were 09:00–18:00, and admission was free. Kwangwoon University international student visitor guide

This exhibition was organized to commemorate the 2026 World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Busan, and consisted of four sections, a WLIC Special Zone, and an Interaction Zone. The exhibition hall was designed in a circular layout, allowing visitors to follow a flow from stories in books to K-dramas, films, webtoons, and music, before returning to the library archive. Newsis exhibition coverage

Old books, manuscripts, cheap popular books, magazines, records, and video materials were displayed together. Visitors could also see Maurice Courant’s “Korean Bibliography,” the Arirang sheet music published in the English-language magazine “The Korean Repository,” and Gale’s English translation of “The Cloud Dream of the Nine.” The connections between the Joseon-era anecdote collection “Eou Yadam” and the drama “My Love from the Star,” the classic novel “Unyeongjeon” and “Jewel in the Palace,” and “Korean Folk Games of Joseon” and “Squid Game” were especially memorable. It felt like slowly discovering that old books lie behind the familiar images on screen. NoCut News field report

A 10-minute route ideal for walking with international friends, between Eou Yadam and Squid Game

It was great to visit with friends who enjoy Korean content, as they could visually trace the roots of the original works. Part 3, “Translation and Korean Language: K-Content Expanded to the World,” featured Korean literature translated into various languages, the first German edition of Mirok Li’s “The Yalu Flows,” a learning record for the Japanese colonial-era “Joseoneodokbon,” and Korean-language learning materials such as “Myeongdowon Korean.” Exhibition panels and material descriptions were also translated into English, making it easy for friends who had difficulty reading titles in Korean to follow the exhibition’s flow.

The address is 201 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul. It was about a 10-minute walk from Exit 6 of Seocho Station on Subway Line 2, and also about 10 minutes from Exit 5 of Express Bus Terminal Station on Lines 3, 7, and 9. Seocho Bus 13 and Seocho Bus 21 stop at the “National Library of Korea” bus stop, which was useful when carrying luggage or when walking in the height of summer felt burdensome. National Library of Korea transportation guide

As this was a free exhibition, there was no admission procedure requiring cash, card, or mobile payment. After viewing the exhibition in the main building, visitors could stop by the CU convenience store next to the cafeteria in the Librarian Training Institute to buy coffee, drinks, bread, ramen, triangular kimbap, sandwiches, and lunch boxes. CU hours were 08:00–19:00 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and 08:00–22:00 on Wednesday. National Library of Korea convenience store guide

Although it was an indoor exhibition, visitors still had to walk about 10 minutes from the station, so comfortable shoes and water were recommended. Since the exhibition required quite a bit of quiet reading time, visitors with an itinerary focused on quickly viewing K-drama scenes could make the most of their time by starting with Part 2, featuring “Eou Yadam,” “Unyeongjeon,” and “Korean Folk Games of Joseon,” followed by the AI experience corner.

The AI four-shot photo booth and the main building’s first floor: useful things to know before visiting

At the AI interaction corner, “Four Shots of Life, Across 500 Years,” visitors could take four-shot photos using character images from four eras: Joseon-era genre paintings, modern cheap popular book covers, contemporary black-and-white film posters, and present-day K-dramas. Because the exhibition as a whole centered on reading materials, this corner provided a distinct break where visitors could take photos. Part 4 used media art to show the process through which Korean stories expand around the world and are then preserved again in library archives. Yonhap News exhibition introduction

One drawback was that the exhibition ended at 18:00, so visitors arriving late in the afternoon might not have enough time to slowly read through Part 4 and the WLIC Special Zone. In addition, for visitors arriving by car, vehicle entry was restricted on weekdays from 11:00 to 15:00 when the parking lot was full. The parking lot operated from 08:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and weekends, and from 08:00 to 21:00 on Wednesdays, with space for 374 vehicles. General users could park free for up to 30 minutes once per day; afterward, the fee was 500 won per 15 minutes, with a daily maximum of 10,000 won. National Library of Korea parking guide

The exhibition materials included many old documents and small explanatory texts, so it was better to read the titles and their connected content rather than simply glance at a single photograph and move on. Even with English translations available, the context of the classics itself could feel unfamiliar, so using one familiar work, such as “My Love from the Star” or “Squid Game,” as a starting point made the experience flow much more naturally.

A K-content bookshelf ahead of WLIC 2026: travelers this exhibition suits

This exhibition was especially well suited to international visitors who enjoy K-dramas and K-pop but are curious about where earlier Korean stories came from, as well as literary travelers who want to see the traces of Korean literature translation and Korean-language learning. Rather than simply presenting a stream of flashy videos, it placed an old document, a translated book, and a record face-to-face with contemporary content, making it more enjoyable the more slowly one walked through it.

At the end of the exhibition, I felt the statement “K-content began with books” more clearly. Even without being able to read all of the Korean text, following the English explanations and links to familiar works made this into a walk through a long history in the heart of Seoul, where Korean stories have been recorded, translated, and created anew.