FEATURE: S. Korea's biggest AI users are also driving reading boom

SEOUL - South Koreans in their 20s and 30s, the country's most avid users of artificial intelligence, are also driving a reading renaissance that is reshaping the domestic publishing market.

The share of South Korean adults who read at least one book a year, whether in print, digital or audio format, has steadily declined for more than a decade, falling from 72.2 percent in 2013 to 38.5 percent in 2025, according to the culture ministry's 2025 National Reading Survey.