Why is everyone losing it over 'Minumsa bread'? The 'text hip' trend taking over convenience stores

"Please, just let me buy one."

As autumn — long considered the season of reading — draws near, a book craze has swept convenience stores. GS25 launched a line of bread wrapped in packaging designed after covers from publisher Minumsa, and shoppers have been scrambling ever since.

GS25 partnered with Minumsa to release two bread products on Friday. Within three days of launch, 50,000 units had sold, generating roughly 150 million won ($109,000) in sales. The two items ranked first and second in sales among all bread products at GS25, with about 95 percent of the total supply already sold.

The buzz has spilled onto social media. Posts on GS25's app Woori Dongne GS range from shoppers checking store-by-store inventory to customers showing off the random bookmarks tucked inside each package.

The products tap into two trends popular among younger consumers: "text hip" — the embrace of reading as a cool, contemporary lifestyle — and the "random kang" craze of collecting randomized collectibles. Each package contains one of 20 bookmark designs drawn from Minumsa's World Literature Series and poetry collections, chosen at random. The bookmark designs were originally a hit at this year's Seoul International Book Fair.

"Text hip" describes the phenomenon of treating the act of reading as a fresh and fashionable cultural pursuit. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's 2025 National Reading Survey, the overall annual reading rate among adults last year fell to 38.5 percent — down 4.5 percentage points from 2023 and the lowest on record. Among people in their 20s, however, the rate stood at 75.3 percent, roughly double the adult average.

The trend extends well beyond bread. As reading culture evolves — with book fairs, book swaps and outdoor reading sessions gaining popularity — demand for related products has surged. On 29CM, transactions in the book accessories category rose 23 percent year-on-year over the past three months (May 24 to Aug. 23). Sales from Aug. 1 to Aug. 23 climbed more than 30 percent compared with the previous month.

W Concept saw a similar surge: transactions for book-related products — including books, book covers and book clips — jumped roughly 80 percent year-on-year over the three months from June 1 to Aug. 23. Sales of reading-space items such as lamps, desks, bookshelves and foldable book stands soared 215 percent over the same period.

The enthusiasm has also drawn crowds to related events. The Seoul International Book Fair, held at COEX in Seoul in June, attracted 160,000 visitors — 10,000 more than the previous year. Local governments have joined the wave as well. Starting Saturday, "Gunsan Book Fair 2026" will run near Gunsan Hall, and on Sept. 18, the National Reading Festival will open in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.

"The text hip craze is driving strong interest in a wide range of reading-related items," an industry official said. "Book covers in particular are popular with people who want to keep their reading tastes private in public spaces like outdoors or on public transit, while also styling their books as a fashionable accessory." The official added that as consumers discover new titles at book fairs across the country and seek out related products, collaboration merchandise from the retail industry will continue to grow.