Itaewon Books
Itaewon Books (Korean: 이태원북스), formerly Itaewon Foreign Bookstore, is a secondhand bookstore in Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea that specializes in English-language books. Founded in 1973, it is the oldest English-only secondhand bookstore in Seoul. It is designated Seoul Future Heritage and has remained a family business. By 2024, it was run by the daughter of the founder.
It opened in 1973 and was founded by Choi Ki-woong; Choi continued to operate the business until 2011. He had been trading books since the 1960s, although then without a storefront. He gathered texts he could find that were in English, including American department store catalogues, novels, and magazines and sold them to bookstores in Seoul. He used a handcart for transporting the books. In 1985, the store moved locations. A 2024 article reported that Choi's daughter Choi Mi-ra was the owner of the business.
See also
- Dongyang Bookstore – one of the oldest active bookstores in Seoul
References
- ^ "From used cookbooks to Virginia Woolf, Seoul's independent English bookstores have you covered". Korea JoongAng Daily. 2024-02-10. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ^ 이, 다영 (2011-03-04). "Used book bliss in Seoul". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2024-10-20.