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| / Korea Times file |
By Kim Bo-eun
The western port city of Incheon, designated by UNESCO as one of the world's book capitals for 2015, is starting a book-reading challenge based on the "ice-bucket challenge" that swept social media last year.
Incheon City said Wednesday the challenge would start among city officials on April 1.
Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok will read a book, post a book review on a website for city officials and designate two people to follow, who will read and upload a review within 10 days and chose another two people.
If those people do not post a book review in time, they will have to donate a newly published book to the city's library. They also will be banned from the challenge.
The campaign was devised based on the ice-bucket challenge, where participants were either showered with ice water or donated money for research on Lou Gehrig's Disease.
UNESCO has been naming cities with quality programs to promote books and reading as world book capitals since 2001, to celebrate the international organization's World Book and Copyright Day that falls on April 23. Incheon was named the 15th city in the world and third in Asia. It is the first time a Korean city has been given the title.
