A new reading room opened inside a youth library in Seoul's Gangbuk district

Aju Press reported on November 5, 2026, that Small Library 102 opened on November 4 at the Gangbuk Youth Cultural Information Library in Seoul. Lotte Home Shopping announced the room with the Salvation Army Korea, the partner it has used for these reading spaces since 2013. The new room is about 45 pyeong, roughly 149 square metres, and is laid out for children, teenagers, and older adults. Shelves and desks were built from 300 kilograms of recycled banners.

The opening included a lecture by author Lee Nak-jun and short workshops, one for adults making kitchen detergent and one for parents and children making shampoo bars. Aju Press said the project has now reached 102 sites, starting in Gangseo District, with 200,000 books provided, 3 billion won in donations, and a claim of 4.8 million children served across the whole effort. Library 100, at Seoul Children's Hospital last November, was built for children with developmental disabilities. Library 101 opened in July at the Eunpyeong Children's Green Center. Those earlier rooms are separate from this one. The news is the Gangbuk opening, the recycled fittings, and the totals the company states for the program. It does not say how many people used room 102 on the first day.