When Professor Doh Jung-il founded the NGO “Citizen Action for a Reading Culture” in 2001, no one took him seriously. But he has put together a strong alliance across the political spectrum for the creation of a “reading culture” in Korea. Five years ago even, I was struck by how many fewer people read books in Korea than in Japan. Although that is still the case, as we observe on the subway, the situation here is changing rapidly. We now see reading promoted everywhere in Korea and increasingly bookstores are popping up in subway stations.
For an American, I am struck by the ability of Koreans to actually change policy and habits. We lament problems in the United States, but we do not seem to be able to carry out such successful campaigns.
