Kim Ho-yeon, the Korean author of The Second Chance Convenience Store, is in Manila to meet Filipino readers.
National Book Store will host a meet-and-greet and signing with the writer at the Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) on September 12, 2026. The meet-and-greet and signing will be from 3 PM to 5 PM at the National Book Store booth inside the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
Ahead of the meet-and-greet, Kim met readers at the Korean Cultural Center and the University of the Philippines.
Known for his warm, deeply human stories of ordinary life, told with wit and charm, Kim is one of Korea’s leading contemporary novelists.
He debuted as a screenwriter with Double Agent, then won the Grand Prize at the 2005 Bucheon Animation Story Award for Experimental Human Zone.
After working as a fiction editor, he turned to writing novels. In 2013, Mangwon-Dong Brothers won the Excellence Award at the 9th Segye Literature Award, launching his career as a novelist.
His career reached a turning point with The Second Chance Convenience Store. The novel follows the owner of a corner store, who takes in an unhoused man who does a good deed. His presence transforms the whole neighborhood and becomes a heartwarming tale of community and redemption.
Kim’s novel helped define a new wave of Korean healing fiction that has resonated with readers worldwide. The Second Chance Convenience Store and its sequel have been published in more than 30 languages across over 50 countries and territories, becoming international bestsellers.
Readers can visit the MIBF from September 9 to 13, 2026.
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