The government will open 44 new public libraries across the nation this year and increase the number of books available to 100 million.
 
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Presidential Committee on Library and Information Policy unveiled the goals Thursday as part of the second comprehensive library development plan for the years 2014 to 2018.

The 820 billion won, or nearly 720 million U.S. dollar, plans include the opening of 44 new public libraries, of which 15 will be established in Gyeonggi Province, nine in Seoul and three each in Busan and Daegu.
 
The new openings will bring the total number of the nation’s public libraries to one-thousand-19. The facilities are also expected to reduce overcrowding as they are projected to accommodate an average of 50-thousand-700 people this year, down from 52-thousand-800 in 2015.