From Page to Planet: National Library Exhibition Traces K-Content's Literary Roots

An exhibition opening this week will trace how stories accumulated over centuries in Korean books and records were reborn as K-content and spread across the world.

The National Library of Korea will hold a special exhibition titled "From a Single Book to the World: K-Content" from Tuesday through Oct. 6, marking the 2026 World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Busan.

The exhibition is organized into four main sections, a special WLIC zone and an interactive zone, weaving together a narrative arc that spans old books, manuscripts, pulp paperbacks, magazines, music recordings, films, webtoons, drama series and K-pop.

The first section, "The Origins of K-Content — Starting from Books," introduces early materials through which foreign visitors to Korea in the late 19th century brought Korean culture to the world. Highlights include "Bibliographie Coréenne" by French bibliographer Maurice Courant, who introduced Korean texts including "Jikji" to the West; the English-language magazine "The Korean Repository," which contains the first published sheet music of Arirang collected by American missionary Homer Hulbert; and an English translation of the classic novel "The Cloud Dream of the Nine" by James Scarth Gale — all rare materials seldom seen by the public.

The second section, "From Story to K-Content," draws connections between Korea's classical tales and their modern reinterpretations across film, drama series and webtoons. Visitors can trace how "Eou Yadam," a collection of Joseon-era folk tales, fed into the fantasy world of the drama series "My Love from the Star"; how the classical novel "Unyeongjeon" informed "Jewel in the Palace"; and how "Joseon's Local Pastimes," a record of traditional folk games, connects to "Squid Game." Also on display are the 26th issue of the literary magazine "Gaebyeok," which carries Kim Sowol's poem "Azalea," along with "Namjinrok," "Sugyeong Nangjajeon," "Bulgasari Jeon" and "Jeon Uichi Jeon."

The third section, "Translation, the Korean Language and K-Content's Global Expansion," charts how K-content has evolved into a culture of learning and speaking Korean around the world. The library will display Korean literary works translated into various languages from its own collection, including the first German edition of Yi Miryeok's novel "The Yalu River Flows." The section also traces the history of Korean-language learning materials — from colonial-era "Korean Language Reader" recordings to modern textbooks — and features digital maps showing the countries where King Sejong Institutes operate and where Korean-language university programs have been established.

The fourth section, "Libraries: Recording the Future of K-Content," uses media art to show how Korean stories that began in books and spread across the globe are gathered and preserved once more through library archives.

The special WLIC zone presents content highlighting the congress's Busan venue and the National Library of Korea's own activities.

The WLIC runs Aug. 10-13 in Busan and is the largest gathering in the global library world, often called the "Olympics of libraries." Organized by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), the congress brings together library and information professionals, policymakers, researchers and industry representatives from around the world to discuss the future role of libraries and the direction of sustainable development.

This year's congress marks the first time the WLIC has been held in Korea since Seoul hosted it in 2006, a gap of 20 years. The future of libraries in the age of AI is among the key topics on the agenda.

Song Yun-seok, acting director general of the National Library of Korea, said books and records accumulated over a long time lie at the starting point of K-content beloved by people around the world. "This exhibition is designed to illuminate the roots of K-content while showing that the library is a space where new creation and culture begin anew," he said. "We hope the World Library and Information Congress will give both domestic and international visitors a chance to experience a new connection between libraries and K-content."