India to be Guest of Honour at Seould Book Fair

India has been invited as the Guest of Honour to the 2013 edition of Seoul International Book Fair organised by Korean Publishers' Association (KPA).
Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Jitin Prasada, will lead a delegation of over 40 people, including Indian publishers, authors and senior government officials, to Seoul for the event which will be held from 19 to 23 June, a statement issued by National Book Trust (NBT) said today.
The event also coincides with the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and South Korea, the statement said
Over 3,300 titles by Indian Publishers will be on display during the Seoul International Book Fair, with special focus on 'Books on and by Mahatma Gandhi', 'Hundred years of Indian Cinema', 'Children's literature', 'Indian Literature in English translation' and 'Nobel laureates from India'.

A panel discussion on 'Gandhi and Tagore in Korea' with presentations by eminent Korean scholars will also be organised by NBT in association with International Convention Centre during the event.
A replica of Sanchi Stupa's Gate will serve as the main entrance to the India Pavilion at the event. Also underlining the common Buddhist heritage of the two countries, a Gandhara style standing Buddha of Gupta period will be showcased at the centre of the pavilion, the statement said.
To mark the event, NBT has also published 10 of its titles for children under 12 in Korean translation for free distribution under 'Gift a Book' objective including the works of Rabindranath Tagore and Ruskin Bond.

National Book Trust is also set to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Korean Publishers' Association (KPA) with objectives to participate on reciprocal basis in international book fairs being organised by New Delhi World Book Fair and Seoul International Book Fair, the statement said.