Seoul book fair postponed due to coronavirus

SEOUL, May 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's largest book fair has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak and will be turned into a new format linking online and offline programs, its organizers said Saturday.

The annual Seoul International Book Fair (SIBF) was scheduled to take place from June 24-28 at the COEX exhibition center in southern Seoul.

Its organizer, the Korean Publishers Association, has decided to put off the event as the coronavirus continues to spread across the world. The SIBF drew 160,000 people for five days last year.

The group said it is preparing a new format that links online and offline environments.

"International publishers will be able to meet their potential business partners all over the world online, instead of at their booths," the association said.

Details about the new schedule and program will be announced later, it added.

Under the theme "XYZ: Entanglement," this year's SIBF will explore the interconnected existence of generations and genders.

The planned forums on labor, LGBT, feminism and Anthropocene issues will be conducted with a small audience and livestreamed. An expert discussion on post-pandemic life will be added, the organizer said.

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