While April 23 has been designated ‘World Book Day’ by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), books and South Koreans have less and less to do with one another.

According to a survey by the National Statistical Office released on April 22, a South Korean household with two or more members last year spent a monthly average of 10,288 won (US$11.08) on books - including newspapers and magazines - a 2.8-percent drop from the year prior.

Of the spending, the amount of monthly per-home spending on ‘pure books,’ excluding textbooks, newspapers, and magazines, was 7,631 won. Given a fact that the number of per-home members averaged 3.3 persons last year, a South Korean spent just about 2,500 won a month on "real" books.

The price of a book in South Korea averaged 11,545 won last year, according to the Korean Publishers Association, which means that the average purchase per person was less than three books in a year.

This average ’pure book’ spending represents a drop for the second straight year. The average spending on books per month was 7,658 won in 2003 and 7,750 won in 2004, which went down to 7,667 won in 2005 and continued to drop last year.

In contrast, a South Korean household with two or more members spent an average 21,945 won per month on cigarettes and an average 18,431 won per month on cosmetics last year, meaning that South Koreans spent four times the amount they spent on books in purchasing cosmetics and cigarettes instead. Last year, the South Korean market for new books totaled 2.36 trillion won, down 12 percent from the year before.

According to the National Library of Korea, 23.7 percent of South Koreans did not read a single book in 2006.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]