© CLBee System

Now it’s time to take a look at a Korean business bringing about changes in the global economy with some new ideas. The company we’re going to introduce today is CLBee System, Korea’s No. 1 smart publishing solutions provider. Let’s hear from company CEO Lee Jae-ho. 

CLBee System was founded in April 2008 by a group of specialists from the publishing industry. At the time, some of our staff supplied postscript fonts for Macintosh use to Moodeung Ilbo, a daily newspaper in Gwangju. Previously, no one had ever provided fonts to any newspaper in Asia. They did the same for Donga Publishing, representing the largest such sale in Asia at the time. Some of our workers have experience developing a newspaper publication system based on NeXTSTEP or Mac OS X. 

With the spread of mobile devices and smartphones, local publishers have developed mobile applications capable of activating their contents. Our company has a number of specialists, who have experienced the radical shift in publishing platforms.

CLBee System was established in 2008, the same year Apple launched the App Store, a platform that allows users to browse and download different apps to their devices. Apparently, CLBee System envisioned a new era of content creation and consumption as a result of online and mobile apps. 

The company began to produce various types of publications in the form of ebooks and apps, including a Donga Publishing dictionary, a data book offered by the Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum, study materials used by Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and product guides provided by companies. 

In the fast-paced publication industry—from paper to the virtual world and from the internet to mobile— the company has brought paper books alive on  digital platforms.

Our competitiveness lies in the constant development of different technologies tailored to ever-changing publication environments. Paper and virtual books require different layout tools. 

In editing, paper books need a fixed layout where the page width and length are fixed, while ebooks feature reflowable layouts, in which each user can adjust the font or screen size in accordance with personal preferences. But a fixed layout is more useful and appropriate for some ebooks. Our layout software, called PageBuilder helps users create and edit digital content with a fixed layout in a highly efficient way. What users work on can be created as HTLM5-based apps or ebooks. 

CLBee System went through every stage of electronic publishing, developing technology from the ground up. Whenever a new publication form emerged, the company responded with their own solution.

EPUB, short for electronic publication, is the most widely adopted format for digital books. But EPUB files need a certain viewer program, and typesetting and designs used in printed books cannot be applied. For these reasons, those accustomed to paper books often found digital ones unfamiliar or even inconvenient. 

CLBee System sought to remedy this problem with its app layout tool, PageBuilder. This convenient solution automated the complicated ebook structure formation, allowing users to create digital books through HTML5, the standard coding language for creating web pages and applications across browsers. Using HTML5, web pages are transformed into ebooks that are nearly identical to their analog counterparts. 

But perhaps PageBuilder’s biggest advantage is that it’s easy to use.

It is pretty easy to use PageBuilder. It has all the necessary functions for editing, with a shorter learning curve than more complex alternatives like PowerPoint. Once one becomes familiar with the features, they can create and edit professional-looking digital content. One of PageBuilder’s functions called Action and Timeline, for instance, helps users create animations and interactive features in a more interesting and effective way.

The major purpose of PageBuilder is to provide an easy-to-use editing tool. Anyone who can create a document with PowerPoint can make digital books with PageBuilder. Without any programming knowledge, users can insert or edit text and images at the click of mouse through drag-and-drop operations. With a few more clicks, they can add multimedia files like videos and music. 

Moreover, PageBuilder supports various interesting functions that invite interactive reader participation. Even a musical piece can be adapted into an ebook.  

© CLBee System

In an interesting production, we made a one-hour musical for children into a digital fairytale book. It was a challenging job, as it was difficult to contain and revive every element of the specific type of performing art, including music, in the e-storybook. I remember we were repeatedly forced to change different scenarios in the six-month production period. 

CLBee System has been developing innovative smart publishing solutions with industriousness and creativity. Moving beyond the domestic market, it plans to extend its business abroad, starting with Japan. Next month, the company will participate in Japan IT Week Spring in Tokyo, one of the largest trade shows for web and mobile marketing in the country. 

Unlike Korea, there aren’t many small-and mid-sized software developers in Japan. So, distinctive software, like ours, can attract attention and prove competitive in Japan. That’s why we set our eyes this market first. Our next destination is the U.S. The U.S. market is much larger, so there will be greater demand and opportunities for new solutions. There, our software could be used in ways that we haven’t even imagined before. We really wish to advance into the American market.

A major paradigm shift—from industries to culture—is occurring in the world economy. With more and more consumers shifting their focus to “meaning” from products themselves, diverse cultural content is growing at a phenomenal pace. CLBee System looks to be a leading player in this rapidly expanding industry.