Minumsa World Literature Series Tops 500 Volumes, a Korean First
Seoul Economic Daily
Last updated: June 15, 2026
Minumsa's World Literature series has achieved a significant milestone by reaching over 500 published volumes, marking a first for a Korean publisher's literary series. The series, launched in 1998, aims to introduce global literary classics to younger generations through meticulously translated editions.
- The 500th volume published was Mirok Li's "The Yalu Flows," a notable work of 20th-century diaspora literature.
- The series has introduced 394 works by 245 authors from 38 countries, resulting in approximately 23 million copies distributed across about 13,200 printings.
- Hermann Hesse's "Demian" is the most popular title in the series, with over 813,000 copies sold.
- Other highly popular books include J. D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" and Osamu Dazai's "No Longer Human."
- George Orwell's "Animal Farm" has been reprinted the most, with 147 editions.
- Hermann Hesse is the most represented author, with nine volumes, followed by Shakespeare with seven volumes.
- Works by Nobel Prize laureates constitute 99 titles within the series.
