Established in 1947, the Korean Publishers Association is Korea’s oldest and largest private-sector organization and covers all facets of the publishing industry.

The KPA seeks to develop the publishing industry and aid it in contributing to society, collaborating with authors, and building a new reading culture.
It is active in the various sectors of education, research, policy development, festivals, copyright exchange, and more to pursue its tasks of advancing the publishing industry and defending the freedom to publish. Publishing and the freedom to publish are the cradle of democracy and books are the foundation of civilization.
By identifying various ways to distribute books, the KPA endeavors to ensure that no one falls through the cracks in society. Drawing upon the strength and purpose of its approximately 700 full member companies and 2,000 associate member companies, the KPA is always exploring new potential in publishing to respond to the rapidly changing media environment as well as climate change.

The BICBF, Korea's first international children's book fair, is a festival and platform dedicated to fostering a diverse children's book industry and promoting the exchange of children's literature from all around the world.

As Korea's first international children's book fair, Busan International Children's Book Fair takes its first step in 2024. Based in Busan, which has established itself as a hub for the East Asian cultural content industry, the BICBF aspires to become Asia's leading platform for children's content. The BICBF serves as a vital stage for introducing Korean children's books to the world while providing a venue for publishers, authors, illustrators, and industry professionals to gather and share their experiences.

Laputa, Dancing on the Sea, Sunlight with Wings

Three hundred years ago, Gulliver encountered Laputa on his travels. This flying island, approximately seven kilometers in diameter, mirrors the size of Busan's Saha District. At its center, a 45-meter gap houses a colossal natural magnet. This magnet, six meters long and three meters thick at its widest point, holds the island aloft. One side of the magnet attracts the earth, while the other repels it, allowing the island's altitude to be adjusted by shifting the magnet's position.

A century ago, Paz and Sita embarked on their quest to find Laputa, a tale preserved in a comic. Paz possessed a photograph taken by his father, who had stumbled upon Laputa by chance. This photograph showed Laputa in a way that starkly contrasted Gulliver's narrative. “Laputa appears in Gulliver’s Travels, but that's nonsense. Nobody lives there now, but it’s said to be full of treasures.” If we were to rediscover Laputa today, it would differ from the ones Gulliver or Paz and Sita found. Should you come across Laputa in Busan, it would be neither Gulliver's nor Paz and Sita's. At the Busan International Children's Book Fair, create your own Laputa with your imagination and hope.

Books have always been a vessel for dreams and a blueprint for new worlds. They contain dreams, the means to achieve them, and chronicles of the journeys to make them real. In Busan, we gather such books from all over the world. Children's books and content from every corner of the globe converge here. This is a Laputa for children and adults alike, a place to share, enjoy, and find ways to realize dreams. Above the sea of Busan, we will float our collective 'sunlight with wings', our Laputa.