Koreans increasingly shun book reading

[ashiva.livejournal.com]

Nearly three out of every 10 South Korean adults do not read one single book the whole year, a government survey showed Friday, indicating a growing number of people are choosing other interests such as Web surfing and watching TV over reading, Yonhap News reported.

Some 72 percent of adults read at least one book each year, according to the culture ministry's survey of 1,000 men and women nationwide, a continuing decrease from the 77 percent in 1996 and 76 percent in 2007.

The surveyed people read an average of 12 books a year and spent about 30 minutes a day on reading, a sharp contrast to Europeans who read at least 25 books per year according to recent polls, the culture ministry said.

Reading was the fourth most popular leisure activity among adults while watching television topped the list followed by Web surfing and exercising, said the ministry. South Korean adults favored novels followed by self-help books, it noted.

Source

Comments

[itzbets.livejournal.com]

Korea needs their own Harry Potter!


Yes, Yes I know Harry Potter was popular everywhere but you know what I mean!

[belle-loon.livejournal.com]

THIS lol ♥

[shanny-w.livejournal.com]

At least exercising tops the list.

[girl-vsmachine.livejournal.com]

That's what I was going to say lol.

[nichkhun.livejournal.com]

They don't want none of that there book learnin'

[umbrella-smile.livejournal.com]

LOL

[orangeinsanity.livejournal.com]

Me too! I'm not an anime girl but I love reading manga!

[bambayahh.livejournal.com]

i don't really read a lot of books (anymore), but i read a bunch of fanfics...does that count :|

[thenylonkid.livejournal.com]

I think as long as you're reading it's still a plus.

[1849.livejournal.com]

at least one book each year
:(

[aprettyeternity.livejournal.com]

?!
I read at least one book a week.
/nerd

...no but srsly.

[umbrella-smile.livejournal.com]

This is quite disappointing :(

[patapoufe.livejournal.com]

I don't think my mom has read a non-work related book since... since she had me or something. : / An exaggeration, but you get the point.

[valmorbia.livejournal.com]

That's sad, but I think they're too busy. School or work. I like reading but I must admit the good books take effort to like, so why would you want to spend your free hours of the week on something that seems like suffering at first?

[heechul-oppa.livejournal.com]

Korea has finally joined the rest of the world. :/

[youngbinkoo.livejournal.com]

LOL ageeed.

[freakymysty.livejournal.com]

Ugh, this just reminds me that I need to read more. My mom and sis read in bed before going to sleep and I just watch my tv :/.

[akaich0u.livejournal.com]

Maybe a lot of young people are so busy with school, they don't have time to read anything other than textbooks.

That's definitely true for me...

[xradiostatic.livejournal.com]

same here. i haven't read a book for pleasure in the longest time because of school. :[

[buffalosorwings.livejournal.com]

D: now im going to have to say "GO READ A BOOK DUMBASS" to Korean parents, instead of just my friends/sister

[ari-meh.livejournal.com]

my family reads an awful lot, which means i read an awful lot by influence... (plus fanfics 8D!)
but i did notice that people don't read much, nowadays... which is a shame D:
i'd trade a good book for 3 episodes of a korean drama, any day!

[memorialaddrss.livejournal.com]

keep reading those self-help books, Korea. you need it.

[uhrelax.livejournal.com]

LOL MTE.

[jaehyuno.livejournal.com]

I LOVE HER BOOKS (and her).

Although I didn't really take the title of her first book as bluntly as I should. I wasn't really expecting an actual collection of one night stands ;x

[yuseo.livejournal.com]

with the highest number of working hours in the world, i'd be surprised they'd even have time to read one.

[chrismakkuh.livejournal.com]

...How does one go an entire year with out reading a book? that just baffles the mind.

[boredkitty.livejournal.com]

I agree with the no time to read issue.

It also worries me that in my country people read even less than that D:
I'm seen as a nerd, and with college and fandoms I barely have time to read for pleasure :/

[breathe-ai.livejournal.com]

isn't like that everywhere though? Korea isn't really alone in it's declining rate of reading...

[jjoongie.livejournal.com]

This makes me so sad. :|

[maisoui.livejournal.com]

Lol I read fanfic, does that count?!

This entire post makes me feel like I should read more. :(

[bellaprincess9.livejournal.com]

ia

[she-devil666.livejournal.com]

I could have told you that =_= That's pretty much like everywhere else in the world. I need to apply for gov't grants to conduct stupid research studies like this. Why does this matter exactly?