How handwriting has become the new cool in South Korea

SEOUL – For Ms Park Min-ha, 28, reading has always been a hobby. But in the wake of Han Kang’s historic Nobel Prize in literature win last year, her interest has deepened. Lately, she has adopted a new habit of pilsa which is the practice of writing passages from books by hand.

“Just reading a book and moving on didn’t feel like I had truly absorbed it,” she said. “Writing a full review felt like too much work, so instead, I started jotting down lines that resonated with me.”

She finds the process meditative. “Slowing down to write by hand helps me reflect on the message more deeply and remember it longer.”

She is hardly alone.

Mr Kwak Do-gyu, 20, a left-handed pitcher for Kia Tigers in the Korean Baseball Organisation, was seen practising pilsa on MBC reality TV show I Live Alone in an episode that aired on Dec 20, 2024.

Concerned about overworking his pitching hand, he carefully copied text with his right hand instead. A self-described digital native, he grew up surrounded by screens, making his embrace of such an analog practice all the more striking.

“Ever since I started pilsa, I’ve felt noticeably calmer,” he shared.

Ms Park and Mr Kwak are just two among many in a surprising trend. In a digital-first world, what was once a niche literary exercise has transformed into a full-fledged movement for the publishing industry in 2025.

This growing enthusiasm for pilsa is clearly reflected in the publishing industry.

Recently, an influx of books designed specifically for handwriting practice has hit the market. These books are structured with text on the left-hand page and blank space on the right, allowing readers to copy passages by hand.

While earlier pilsa books primarily focused on poetry and prose, more recent offerings have