IRASUN BOOKSTORE

Strolling through a tranquil and quiet street of Tongui-dong, Seoul, you will end up meeting the bookstore IRASUN. The number of independent bookstores is rapidly increasing (it is almost a trend), yet IRASUN is a little different from others, only selling a collection of photographs.

On top of an old teak table, wall shelves and dark wood piano desk furniture, books are neatly and comfortably displayed. Run by Kim Hyun Kook and Kim Jin Hyun, this place was born out of love for the photography. Since there was no proper bookstore treating photography collections seriously and with variety, these two enthusiasts decided to open one.

From the first edition, to the out of print, to the most up-to-date books, you can have all here. Books are not wrapped here as big commercial bookstores often do. You can take your time and look through the pages. Buying can be a cautious act. Customers immediately understand the owners intention and turn pages with care and love.

IRASUN is known for its varied selection of photographs and books, but also for the regular book talks. Often times, book talks are with the photographers themselves, you can directly hear their original stories and communicate with the audience. There lies the beginning of true understanding of the art. This opportunity gives people more engagement with the photography at a deeper level and that is the true pursuit of IRASUN. You can even get the small luxury of having a collection signed by the artists themselves. 

The most recent talk was by the photographer Jana Romanova. You could not only hear the simple explanation of the photo but why the book itself is designed the way it is. After the talk, the short moment of having a dialogue with the photographer will be stored in your memory for a long time. 

Instagram is the most active medium they use to communicate. New books in the store are introduced with quite detailed information and you can also check their book talk schedule from their page. 

Some will find photography unfamiliar, to others, it is an essential part of their lives. IRASUN is always there to seep into our daily lives with this mysterious medium. It is worth a day only surrounded by these awesome books.