German Publishers Fall in Love with South Korea’s Literary Scene at Seoul Book Fair!

German publishers admired South Korea’s literary culture and the appeal of Korean literature at the Seoul International Book Fair 2025 on Thursday.

The German booth was a hit with Korean bookworms, with publishers raving about the fair’s electric atmosphere and top-notch organization.

“Koreans are publishing geniuses! They’ve got their finger on the pulse of what readers crave,” gushed Natalja Schmidt, Publishing Director at Knaur Fiction & Bramble from Germany, in an exclusive chat with The Korea Herald.

“They’re on a mission to share Korean book culture with the world, and I’m totally here for it. Mark my words, Korean lit is about to blow up globally,” she added with enthusiasm.

Schmidt couldn’t stop gushing about the fair, calling it “drop-dead gorgeous” and “smooth as butter,” and gave major props to the impressive network of Korean publishing houses and literary agents.

“I scored an invite from the K Book Market this year. They’re all about bringing in publishing pros from around the globe to get the 411 on South Korea’s publishing scene,” Schmidt explained.

“And hey, we Germans have some literary gems to bring to the Korean table too,” she added with a wink.
Juergen Boos, the big cheese at the Frankfurt Book Fair, was totally on the same page as Schmidt when it came to the literary love affair with Korea.

“Korea and I go way back. They were our VIP guests in Frankfurt back in ’05, and we’ve been tight with tons of Korean institutions ever since,” Boos reminisced.

“Last year was a bit of a snooze, but this year? It’s poppin’! So many young faces in the crowd. The book scene here is seriously lit,” he added, clearly stoked about the buzz among Korean readers.

When we asked Boos for some German book recs for Korean readers, he went old school.

“You can’t go wrong with the classics, you know? Hermann Hesse and Thomas Mann have been translated more times than I can count,” he said.

Boos also couldn’t help but plug his personal fave: Wasserland by Christian Kracht.

“It’s this cool story about a young dude road-tripping through Germany. I’m obsessed with it, and my 25-year-old son is too. It’s like our family’s literary heirloom,” he shared with a grin.

Meanwhile, Joern Beissert, the Deputy Ambassador at the German Embassy in Seoul, was totally vibing with the young Korean crowd.

“The place is crawling with young people,” Beissert marveled.

“We’re over the moon about how the Korean public is eating up German lit. Trust me, we’ve got stories that’ll knock their socks off,” he added with a confident smile.