S. Koreans read more than ever, but some are distracted by Internet: survey

Posted on : 2006-12-15 21:26 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST

Free time on the weekend doesn't necessarily lead to more reading in South Korea, and the Internet tends to draw some readers' attention from books, according to a government survey released on Friday.

The average South Korean read more books on average during this past year than ever before, but some Koreans don't pick up a single copy, the biennial survey of 1,000 adults conducted by the National Library of Korea suggested.

It showed the average Korean read 11.9 books, up from 11 in 2004 and 9.1 in 1996. But the ratio of non-readers remained the same. Nearly one out of every four people, or 24 percent, said they don't read any books, similar to the rate in 2004 (23.7

percent) and 1995 (21 percent).

The majority said their increased free time did not lead to more reading time. The country expanded implementation of a five-day workweek system this year and Saturday has become a holiday at more workplaces than before, but the readers said they were not affected. In the survey, 77.9 percent said their amount of reading had not changed, while 8.1 percent said their reading time has decreased because of the two-day weekend. Only 14 percent said they read more.

Digital gadgets seemed to be distracting for some respondents.

While 59 percent said they remained unaffected, 33.5 percent said they read less as a result of answering phones and checking e-mails.

Their favorite type of book was literary genres, mostly novels, with 35.8 percent, followed by professional and hobby books with 25.6 percent. The results showed how-to and technical books were increasingly competing with literary genres in the market.

In terms of types of shopping, Internet malls showed a rapid growth. Thanks to their convenience, discounts and free delivery, the percentage of those who shop from the Internet increased to 28.1 percent, up from 22.4 percent in 2004 and 2.9 percent in 1999.

Over half of the respondents (51.3 percent) said, however, they didn't purchase a single book over the past three months.

"The survey was aimed at studying how the increase of free time influences people's reading habits, but it showed that more free time doesn't necessarily lead to more reading and that reading depends on individual habits," said Baek Won-geun, an official of the library who conducted the survey.

"And also, the publication industry says it's having a difficult time, and the survey showed why," he said.

Seoul, Dec. 15 (Yonhap News)

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