Wonju Picture Book Festival Opens Nov. 6, Featuring Uruguayan Master in Exclusive Korean Appearance

Breaking down the boundary between humans and nature, Wonju becomes a place of welcome

Wonju, Gangwon Province, will host the “2026 Wonju Picture Book Festival” from Nov. 6 to 29 at and around Namsangol Culture Center, taking an in-depth look at the values of coexistence and hospitality through picture books.

The festival’s central theme this year is “New Readers, a Song of Welcome.” Organized by Social Cooperative Picture Book City, the event focuses on using picture books to connect generations, people across different languages and cultures, and even beings beyond the human world, including animals and plants.

Four prominent Korean and international artists — Alfredo Soderguit, Kwon Jung-min, Cho O and Han Sung-min — will present their distinctive artistic visions in the themed exhibition. The festival’s exclusive invitation to Soderguit, who is based in Montevideo, Uruguay, is particularly significant, further expanding global cultural and artistic exchange among UNESCO Creative Cities of Literature.

The festival will also offer a wealth of interactive programming. Visitors can see an archival exhibition documenting the “Little Citizen Picture Book Award,” which children helped create, as well as “Picture Books for Everyone,” an exhibition of work created by community members, and a range of pieces by the “Paerangi Flower Picture Book Bus” club.

The 11th Wonju Picture Book Forum, which will add academic depth to the festival, will be held at 2 p.m. on Nov. 27 at Sangnuri, the Picture Book Library. Korean picture book master Lee Uk-bae will deliver the keynote, while Kim San-ha, head of the Biodiversity Foundation, and Han Yoon-ah, a visual arts critic, will join the discussion on the intersection of ecology and art.

The festival’s official opening ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. on Nov. 6 at Sangnuri, the Picture Book Library. The festival will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and visitors are welcome to experience the message of hospitality conveyed through picture books.