Foreign companies have approached Kyobo, Yes24 and others seeking one copy of each title, raising concerns among Korean publishers and booksellers that the firms intend to use them to train AI.
Published October 15, 2026 - 7:01 a.m. Modified October 15, 2026 - 8:45 a.m.
Kyobo Book Centre has received unusual bulk orders for as many as 100,000 Korean-language books — any title, as long as each one is different — in what it suspects may be an effort to acquire material for AI training, according to the bookstore chain on Wednesday.
Exclusive reporting by the JoongAng Ilbo found that it has received such inquiries since early this year from companies based overseas that wanted to purchase Korean-language books in bulk.
“Most of the inquiries came from U.S. companies,” a Kyobo source told the JoongAng Ilbo. “About 10 companies have contacted us so far.”
The companies that reached out did not ask for particular books or even particular genres. Instead, they wanted about 100,000 different titles, with just one copy of each.
“The transactions differed from ordinary purchases because the buyers appeared to be trying to secure as many different titles as possible,” the representative said. “Overseas bookstores in the United States, Europe and Vietnam that purchase Korean books generally provide a book list and explain the purpose of the purchase.”
A similar pattern emerged in August when an Arizona-based company in the United States approached book retailer Yes24’s used-book business and book store Seoul Book Bogo about buying large quantities of secondhand books.
The potential buyer told JoongAng Ilbo that it was seeking books in a number of categories, excluding children's titles.
The Arizona-based company said it was buying one copy of each title and that the number of different titles mattered more than the total number of books purchased. The company also contacted Kyobo about a possible purchase.
AI training does not require multiple copies of the same title.
Kyobo said it asked the prospective buyers to identify the final recipients of the books.
The companies reportedly replied by saying the information of the final recipient is confidential and cannot be disclosed.
The companies also declined to explain the purpose of the purchases. Some denied that the books were intended for AI training but some said the final recipient was a data-related company.
Kyobo ultimately ended the talks.
“We determined that we could not rule out the possibility that the books would be used for AI training,” Kyobo official said. “Considering the potential risks such transactions could pose to Korean publishers, bookstores and the broader book distribution industry, we informed the companies that we could not proceed unless the final recipient and intended use of the books were confirmed.”
The book retailer called for systematic support.
“Publishers and distributors need to share information and establish guidelines for responding to purchases [suspected of being intended for AI training],” Kyobo Book Centre said.
The practice is not limited to used books.
AI companies overseas have also purchased newly published books. Nippon Shuppan Hanbai, a major Japanese book distributor commonly known as Nippan, sold new Japanese-language books to U.S. AI company Anthropic for a year beginning in December 2024, according to the Japan Book Publishers Association.
A U.S. court ruling finalized in July last year also established that Anthropic had used new books, as well as used ones, for AI training.
The publishing industry has begun moving more quickly as cases emerge of suspicious purchases involving both new and used books.
The Korean Publishers Association discussed possible responses at a board meeting on Tuesday.
The association decided to send official letters to regular bookstores, used book shops and distributors to survey the extent of such transactions. Participants also proposed forming a working-level consultative body with other publishing organizations.
The association also plans to join other publishing groups in issuing a joint statement in support of the “Frankfurt Appeal.” The appeal is an open letter signed by publishers and booksellers and was unveiled at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany on Oct. 6.
The letter criticizes the use of published works to train AI without authors’ consent and calls on AI companies to disclose which works were used.
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