I was searching for something similar to Project Gutenberg in Korean, and discovered this site where you can download out of copyright books and other works in the public domain:
공유마당
How-to
Simply select 어문 (literature) from the top menu and you’ll see the newest works that have been added to the database of over 1 million(!!!) entries. You can browse by the number of downloads (다운로드순), views (조회순), or recommendations (추천순) using the drop-down menu on the left.
View in browser by clicking the black button labelled 원문보기, or to download, click the title of the work, check the box agreeing to the conditions, and click the blue 공유저작물 다운로드 button. (The first time you download, a box with a couple of questions will appear, but once submitted it won’t ask again.) Select the file type you want (there aren’t usually many options) and click 다운로드. That’s it!
Here are a few other ways to get free Korean books:
- Korean online retailers: Sites such as Yes24, Aladin, and Ridibooks have selections of free ebooks, and sometimes the first volume of a series is free. You usually have to sign up to the site, and most Korean sites need you to verify your identity before you can access books, even free ones (the exception being Ridi).
- Google Play: Like Korean retailers, some ebook series offer the first volume for free. The browsing experience isn’t the best, though.
- Librivox: There are a handful of audiobooks in Korean you can listen to and download for free.
- Open Library: Borrow Korean books from this online library.
- The Internet Archive: Lots of Korean books, newspapers, magazines, and historical texts.
If you have any other recommendations, feel free to share!