I read the article. Asia is vast. It takes four hours from the eastern end in Seoul to Manila, seven hours to Jakarta, and almost ten hours to Dubai. In the past, without airplanes, this distance could not have been considered as one continent. The story of He Hwang-ok crossing over to Silla was contained in a book handed to me by a senior publisher I met in New Delhi last week. It is a rare occurrence to find a distant story like this in the long history of thousands of years.
Is the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul really the dividing line between Asia and Europe? When considering the vastness and diversity contained in Asia, perhaps Asia is not a geographical concept. It might be a collection of countries that deviate from the family similarity present in European countries. Hence, Europeans might call Asia the Far East and refer to Korea as the Far East.
The International Publishers Association that I am a part of has a history of over 140 years since its inception in the late 19th century. Initially, it started with the traditional civil society of several European countries at the center. These countries consider two important things created around Europe. Freedom of publication and protection of copyright. The most important criterion for association membership is being an autonomous organization independent of the government. Copyright protection has set policy directions for many countries with a lot to protect, mainly Europe and the United States. Many Asian countries are often left outside of these criteria.
Among the countries in Asia, there are places where publishing companies are state-owned due to socialist traditions or where independent civil organizations independent of the government are lacking. They cannot even join the association. Is there no way to engage with publishers in these countries? Copyright protection is the foundation and driving force of the publishing industry, but countries that need to develop industries related to publishing may require measures beyond protection. Is there no way to accommodate the positions and demands of Asian countries?
I am pondering over these issues and visiting several countries in Asia. I visited Tokyo, Japan, and suggested to publishers there, who do not have book fairs, to join those in Seoul and Busan. Publishing in Taiwan is more actively engaged with Korea than anyone else. China is creating separate exchange routes by region. Last week, I visited New Delhi, India, and Jakarta, Indonesia, to discuss Asian publishing. This week, I will participate in the “Asian Copyright Market” in Manila, Philippines. The Philippines, which will be the Guest of Honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair this year, is ambitiously preparing for the event. Especially, many publishers from Southeast Asia, known as ASEAN, are expected to gather and have interesting discussions.
Whenever I visit a country, I try to read books that provide information about its history and culture. However, particularly in Southeast Asia, I have not found good books. Perhaps due to my ignorance, the colorful pictures in travel guides often obscure the truth, and serious research books are not easy to find. It was a revelation to me in Batavia, Indonesia, that the Dutch colonized for 350 years, appearing in front of me so ignorant that I did not know the Southeast Asian story we did not know. They have confined the grand drama unfolding between the land, the sea, and the people to an uninteresting cover. It’s regrettable. But it’s too interesting.
Manga Enthusiast
Introducing domestic and foreign comics that are published in paper or digital format and writing stories related to them.