At 3 p.m. on October 13, the front of a small bookstore called "Onulbooks" in Seochon, Seoul was crowded with people who gathered in the narrow 5-meter-wide road, each taking a “selfie” with the store. "This is the Nobel Prize-winning author's bookstore!"

Onulbooks is an independent bookstore run by Nobel Prize-winning author Han Kang. After the news of Han’s award was reported, there were a pile of congratulatory pots and bouquets, as well as messages to celebrate Han winning the award were piled up in front of the bookstore. Chae Soo-jung, who was taking a photo in front of the bookstore, said, "I was impressed with “The Vegetarian,” and when I heard the news of Han winning the prize, I got goosebumps," adding, "I came to look around here while I was on an outing to Seochon." Keiko Okazaki, a Japanese international student who is “interested in Korean literature" also took a picture of the bookstore on her phone, saying, "I came here after hearing the news of Han winning the award." A staff member at café Aroundseesaw in front of the bookstore said excitedly, “The author sometimes visited the café on days when she came to the bookstore, and she usually had a hot latte.” The bookstore closed early in the day on October 11, the day after the news of the author winning the prize was announced. It also put up a sign saying, “We are taking a break for the time being.”

Onulbooks opened in September 2018 in Seoul‘s Seocho-gu and moved to its current location two years ago. According to the publishing industry, Han has a deep love for the bookstore, personally selecting books for display and organizing various programs. In a 2016 interview with the Financial Times, the author answered, "I want to open a small independent bookstore" when asked what she would do for a living if she had to give up writing.

Why has the writer been deeply interested in independent bookstores for a long time and consistently run the bookstore while immersed herself in writing? It is not for profit, of course. Like most independent bookstores, Onulbooks is unprofitable and in the red.

The July 2022 issue of Webzineview featured an interview with Onulbooks. Although the name of the interviewee is not mentioned, it seems that Han answered based on the content. In response to the question, “How long will you run the bookstore?” she said, “The simple answer to the question that usually follows, ‘How are you making a profit?’ is that we are not making a profit. Rather, the bookstore is chronically in a large deficit. The question then becomes, ‘How long are we going to continue this irrational behavior?’”

In the publishing world, the question of why Han would continue to engage in the “irrational activity that results in a large deficit” is a reflection of the author’s concerns about the value and role of independent bookstores in society. What is the value and role of independent bookstores, according to the writer, is revealed in the interview by Webzineview.

“When we display the books that we think are good for us in a visible way on the shelves without any compensation, customers will encounter those books that are difficult to choose in large bookstores or online bookstores. Those moments of discovery are what keep us in business.”

An independent bookstore is a space where books that do not meet a certain sales volume can get the attention they deserve.

Books that would otherwise go unnoticed in large bookstores can be rediscovered, and readers can use them to reframe how they see the world. An insider from the publishing industry said, "Han seemed to think that it was her job to help readers find good books while running the bookstore."

In fact, Han has been quietly and steadily playing a role in empowering independent bookstores. She often organized visits of overseas writers to Korea and held the related events at independent bookstores.

On October 11, Goyo Bookshop, an independent bookstore in Haebangchon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, shared a memory of Han’s quiet visit in 2015 on its social media account, saying, “Han has always talked a lot about the importance and value of small bookstores, and she has actively supported them.” It added, “Not only did she mention our bookstore on BBC radio a long time ago, but she also held various events at small bookstores. If you want to support the values she espouses, please visit and support small bookstores in your neighborhood.”

Lee Jung-eun, who runs “Booksdot5” in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, said, “I know that Han doesn‘t like to make public appearances, but she was very active when it came to independent bookstores.” In particular, she participated in a press conference against the government’s push to abolish the fixed book price system.

Lee said, "The reason why local small bookstores can endure is because of the fixed book price system. At that time, Han was probably writing "I Do Not Bid Farewell," and when I asked her to hold a press conference, she came forward. It is not easy for writers to come forward. Several organizations opposed it, but I think the fact that Han held a press conference against it was crucial to prevent the abolition of the fixed book price system."

Han said at the press conference, “There is a big difference between having a bookstore within the distance of seven or eight bus stops and not having one. Neighborhood bookstores change people’s lives.” She also added, ”They preserve the diversity of books. When readers visit cultural events at bookstores, their life patterns change and they read more books. Eventually, their life patterns change.”

The Nobel Committee said of Han that she “confronted historical trauma and revealed the fragility of human life.” Her love for independent bookstores is also seen as a manifestation of her determination to nurture human frailty through books and literature in a society that is savagely competitive and insensitive to others. "Her bookstore is a small, quiet, but meaningful place of practice in the extension of her literature,” said a publishing insider.

The interview by Webzineview concludes as follows. “We‘ve rented a little space from reality to create this mirage of a place, and we’re extending it year after year, running against the logic of capital. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, which made it difficult to sell books and organize events, we even closed for three months, but I made a promise to myself. I promised myself that I would never call anything about this bookstore a failure. Until one day, when we know exactly what all of these things we‘ve written and are still writing in real space and time mean.”