Fiction dominates half of Korea's top 10 bestsellers
“Human Acts,” the searing novel by South Korean writer Han Kang, who last year became the first Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature, has claimed the top spot on Korea’s major year-end bestseller lists.
Leading overall sales in 2025, “Human Acts” topped Kyobo’s annual rankings for the second consecutive year, according to Kyobo Book Center, the country’s largest bookstore chain, and Yes24, its leading online bookseller, on Monday.
The consecutive top ranking has been achieved only five times in Kyobo Book Center’s history, and this marks the first time that a novel has done so.
Previous back-to-back chart-toppers include the poetry collection “Standing Alone” by Seo Jeong-yoon (1987-88), the autobiographical essay “The World Is Vast and There Is Much to Do” by Daewoo Group founder Chairman Kim Woo-joong (1989-90), the 2006 self-help book “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne (2007-08) and “The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down” by Haemin Sunim (2012-13).
“Human Acts” revisits one of the darkest chapters in modern Korean history, drawing on the Gwangju Democratic Uprising of 1980, a brutal massacre in which South Korea’s military violently suppressed a prodemocracy movement, killing hundreds of students and unarmed civilians.
“The Vegetarian,” Han’s International Booker Prize–winning novel that first brought her international recognition, ranked ninth, while her recent novel “We Do Not Part” placed 11th on the bestseller lists.
Han was not alone in fueling this year’s literary resurgence. Kyobo Book Center called 2025 a year defined by “literature,” with five of the top 10 bestsellers being novels.
“Contradiction,” which landed in second place, never once fell out of Kyobo’s weekly top 10 throughout the year. The novel, which follows a 25-year-old woman named Ahn Jin-jin, explores the contradictions of life as she struggles between two men, weighing love against stability.
Younger writers also gained strong momentum this year. Sung Hae-na’s short story collection “Honmono” placed fourth, while Jung Dae-gun’s novel “The Torrent” ranked fifth.
Political and social issues also shaped readers’ interests. Among nonfiction bestsellers, President Lee Jae Myung’s pre-election book, “In the End, It Is the People Who Decide,” ranked third.
“Super-Translated Buddha’s Words” by Ryunosuke Koike, which gained sudden popularity after being recommended by K-pop star Jang Won-young, finished at No. 6.
Writer, former lawmaker and political commentator Yoo Si-min’s essay “Reading in Youth” placed seventh, followed by essayist Taesoo’s collection “The Quiet Happiness of Adulthood” at eighth. Novelist Kim Young-ha’s essay “One Life Only” rounded out the top 10.
The year-end list released by Yes24 showed a similar top 10 lineup, except that "The Vegetarian" and "The Torrent" were absent. They were replaced by star history teacher Choi Tae-seong’s exam guide in ninth place and the handwriting notebook "One Day One Page" in tenth.
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
