Sales of 'The Words of the Translated Buddha,' mentioned by Jang Won-young, a member of the popular girl group IVE, are surging and are closely following 'The Boy Comes,' a novel by Han Kang, a Nobel Prize in Literature laureate.

On the 31st, novels by the Nobel Prize in Literature winner Han Kang and Koike Ryunosuke's 'The Essential Teachings of the Buddha' are on display at the comprehensive bestseller corner of Kyobo Bookstore in Jongno-gu, Seoul. /Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency

According to the bestsellers ranking released by Kyobo Bookstore on the 31st, 'The Words of the Translated Buddha' by Ryu Nosuke Koike, a Japanese monk and author, has risen two spots from last week to take second place.

As a result, 'The Vegetarian' and 'There is No Goodbye' by Han Kang, which had maintained 2nd and 3rd places for the past 12 weeks, have dropped to 3rd and 4th places, respectively. 'The Boy Comes' has held the top spot on the Kyobo Bookstore bestseller list for 13 consecutive weeks, but it has ranked second on the YES24 list, falling behind 'The Words of the Translated Buddha.'

'The Words of the Translated Buddha,' released last May, saw a surge in sales after Jang Won-young mentioned it on the tvN variety show 'You Quiz on the Block' on the 15th. Another book mentioned by Jang Won-young, 'Reading Schopenhauer at Forty,' also climbed two spots to take 20th place.