Travel
Seoul outdoor libraries draw 1 million visitors in first half of 2025
Haps Magazine Korea
July 6, 2025
(Image: Seoul City Government)
Three of Seoul’s popular open-air libraries — Reading Seoul Plaza, Gwanghwamun Book Yard, and Reading by the Clear Stream — wrapped up their spring and early summer operations after welcoming over 1 million visitors in just three months since reopening on World Book Day (April 23).
This brings the total cumulative attendance since their 2022 debut to over 6 million.
Satisfaction with the program reached record highs, with a 96.6% approval rate, 87.1% of visitors reading at least one book, and strong support for continued operation and future visits. The city credited this success to the growing trend of immersive, hip reading culture, especially among the MZ generation.
Innovative programs such as “Silent Night Book Zone”, “Pajama Group Reading,” and the “Hip Book Club” — which alone saw over 60,000 posts shared by its members — helped create a vibrant reading community that extended across both physical and online spaces. The club’s membership, largely composed of readers in their 20s and 30s, contributed thousands of book reviews, reading certificates, and personal recommendations.
Seoul’s efforts have inspired over 80 outdoor libraries nationwide, and 14 districts and 53 local institutions within the city have adopted the model. International interest is also growing, with benchmarking visits from institutions such as Penn State University, MADi (Hong Kong), and the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education.
During the summer break (July–August), the libraries will pause operations but return on September 5. A special program titled “Summer Night Library” will run from August 22 to 24, offering a unique vacation-like reading experience in the heart of the city.
Throughout the break, citizens can continue engaging through the libraries’ website and social media, which will share book recommendations and curated reading content under the 2025 theme “A Very Ordinary Day”.