Rags-to-Riches Stories Outsell Self-Help Books

Get-rich-quick books by successful people have overtaken self-help and healing guides, which used to top the bestseller lists in Korea.

Most in demand are chronicles of people who amassed a lot of money in a short time, reflecting anxiety among Koreans due to skyrocketing housing prices since the coronavirus pandemic started. 

Of the top 15 self-help bestsellers at the country's biggest bookstore chain Kyobo Book Centre in the first half of this year, seven were success stories, up from six last year and four in 2020.

Before 2020, gentler self-help books on work-life balance or relationships were in demand. 

This is not the first time success stories have topped the bestseller lists here. 

Pyo Jung-hoon, a publishing industry analyst, said, "This trend stems from a widening gap between the rich and poor due to surging real estate prices and the coronavirus pandemic. A pattern that we witnessed after the Asian financial crisis and the global financial crisis in the mid-2000s is repeating itself."

But a key difference is that the bestsellers now give detailed accounts of the road to success rather than general reflections.