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(S) Korean's reading habits; From KBS-RKI
Topic Started: Jan 17 2005, 12:36 AM (1,532 Views)
Seoul Survivor
Thanks Jay!
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Koreans’ Reading Habits
2005-01-13


A 2004 survey on Koreans’ reading habits, conducted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, shows the average Korean adult reads 11 books annually, up from 10 in 2002. The survey of 2,700 primary, middle and high school students and 1,000 adults nationwide last November also shows that a higher percentage point of adults read books and that their use of and satisfaction with libraries has increased.

Are Koreans skimpy readers?

Many Koreans believe they do not read much. The 2004 survey, however, belies this view. The survey results show Koreans read relatively a lot and that the reading rate is on the increase. Koreans’ reading rate turned out to be higher than that of Japanese, who are regarded by some as avid readers.

The result of 2004 Survey

Annual reading rates for adults
South Korea 76.3%
15 European countries’ average 58%
U.S.A 50.2%

Monthly reading rates
South Korea 54.4%
Japan 50.0%
China 46.3%

Ratio of readers and their annual reading volume
Year Ratio of reading population Annual reading volume
2002 76.3% 13.9 books
2004 72.0% 14.4 books


Do Koreans read in insufficient volume?

The overall average level is not low, but rather high. However, the details suggest that Koreans’ actual reading volume is still relatively low in non-book areas. The ratio of those who read at least 3 books per month is 14.5% for Korea, much lower than Japan’s 17.7%. The ratio of magazine reading is 81.6% for 15 polled European states, but the ratio for South Korea is only 47.6%, the lowest among the countries surveyed.

Some facts about Korea’s reading patterns

Korean students read less as they advance into secondary education. Is this because they are studying all out for the college entrance examination?
The number of people who buy books online is rapidly increasing, but the rate of using e-books is not increasing much (adult: 4.8%, student: 13.4%)
Asked what their most memorable or recommendable book was, or what they considered when purchasing a book, people answered in almost exact correspondence with bestsellers’ lists. The survey cited this correlation as demonstrating Koreans’ “consumerist,” “casual,” and “multiple-book” reading habits.
The rate of using public libraries and borrowing books has increased—Is this due to the ongoing economic recession?

Reading is a barometer to measure the power of knowledge. The sales of classical works are steadily increasing as of late, as those books are proving popular among both children and adults. Clearly, the book-consuming rate is on the increase in Korea.#AMR#

//Seoul
comments: and how many books did YOU read last year???
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MinJun
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Seoul Survivor
Jan 17 2005, 05:36 AM
comments: and how many books did YOU read last year???

some people call me a bookworm, i can't say how many books i read last year. (three ones in 2005 'till now :-)

for me reading is the best possibility to relax after a stressful day :yayaya:
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Seoul Survivor
Thanks Jay!
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What sort of books do you read Minjun? T-10, or Romance novels, or what?

//Seoul
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MinJun
Advanced Member
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romance novels? *frightened*

reading in the late night i'm mostly tired so i prefer to read detective stories, thriller or something similar.
at the weekends i read more challenging (hope that's the right word?!) books. one of my last weekend readings was "an american dream" from norman mailer.

maybe you know the books around the "discwolrd" written by terry pratchet? (i love them ;)
(http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/)

p.s.
btw i can't see this thread listed in the board "about korea". it's only visible as a new one on the first page of the forum ?!
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Seoul Survivor
Thanks Jay!
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Wow!
That's a lot of reading!I've read a lot of the older, Brittish stuff, like Sherlock Holms, and series. (Hounds of the Baskervilles kept me up for nights on end, after I finished it...)

Yeah, this area of the forum isn't used a lot, and I think we have a bug in it. I find this particular thread, about half way down the list of topics)

//Seoul
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Seoul Survivor
Thanks Jay!
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Right now, I'm reading "The Suffocation of Hong Kong". It is about the change in the freedom of the press, there, since the handover from Brittian, to China.

//Seoul
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Angus Mac
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I don't understand the "annual reading rate". Does that mean that for the U.S., 50.2% of the people surveyed have been reading at least one book in the past year?

Do graphic novels count as magazines or books? hehe.

I'm wondering if in secondary school in Korea, the number of required reading books drop because the reading itself is more in-depth?

With a segment of the population professing Christianity or religion in general, I wonder how many Koreans read their bibles and whether that counts as one book or multiple books for the survey?
Woof!
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Seoul Survivor
Thanks Jay!
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Angus Mac
Jan 25 2005, 03:22 AM
I don't understand the "annual reading rate". Does that mean that for the U.S., 50.2% of the people surveyed have been reading at least one book in the past year?

<EDIT>


With a segment of the population professing Christianity or religion in general, I wonder how many Koreans read their bibles and whether that counts as one book or multiple books for the survey?

I think you've assessed the "annul reading rate" correctly.

But I don't know if you get "extra credit" for the bible or not.

South Korea is specified as 46% don't specify a religion, and 26% are Christian. That info is available at the CIA World Fact Book, (for free) Available here:
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ks.html

//Seoul
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