According to a 2008 yearbook published by the Arts Council Korea on Friday, the market for children's books totaled nearly 1.5 trillion won in 2007, compared with just over 300 billion won from 2006.

The market for literature shrank 11.9 percent year-on-year to 334.6 billion won in 2007.

The number of new books published reached 132.5 million last year, up 17.1 percent from the previous year.

The increase is attributable mainly to a nearly 170 percent surge in childrens' books.