Oh Jeong-hui removed as book fair ambassador after blacklist protests

A group of cultural organizations, including the Writers Association of Korea, holds a protest in front of Coex in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Wednesday. (Yonhap)

The Korean Publishers Association, the organizer of the Seoul International Book Fair, said it has canceled novelist Oh Jeong-hui’s participation in the fair as a promotional ambassador.

Oh had been selected as one of the six promotional ambassadors for the country’s biggest book event, which kicked off Wednesday at Coex in Gangnam-gu, southeastern Seoul.

The novelist was scheduled to participate in a talk program with five other ambassadors on Sunday.

On Wednesday, a group of cultural organizations including the Writers Association of Korea held a press conference and protested against the appointment of novelist Oh as an ambassador for the book fair. Oh was a key member of the Arts Council of Korea during the Park Geun-hye administration, which was found to have compiled a blacklist of cultural figures.

“We are outraged that the ministry and the association have selected a ‘blacklist executor’ as an ambassador for an international event to represent Korean literature,” they said in a statement issued Wednesday ahead of the opening ceremony.

Several protesters clashed with security guards before the ceremony.

A visitor takes a photo of the poster showing the six promotional ambassadors for the 2023 Seoul International Book Fair, held at Coex in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, on Wednesday. Oh Jeong-hui is third from left in the poster. (Yonhap)

In response to the protests, KPA issued a statement in the afternoon and said, "The ambassadors had been chosen from among literary figures who have a deep appreciation for books."

"The selection process for ambassadors was conducted independently and autonomously by the executive team of SIBF, with the KPA ensuring their freedom to make decisions."

The Culture Ministry was not involved in the process, according to KPA.

"We are paying attention to the fact that more efforts should have been made to achieve a broader consensus during the appointment process."