Korea’s oldest bookstore will be brought back to life 14 years after its closing, local publishers said Thursday.

Jongno Books, more commonly known as Jongno Seojeok, will relaunch Friday at Seoul’s Jongno intersection, according to book publishing officials.

Under a different mother company and management, the new store will replace the Jongno Tower branch of bookstore chain Bandi & Lunis. A former executive of Youngpoong Bookstore, a Korean bookstore chain, will take the helm of the new store.

Launched by a Jesuit organization in 1907, Jongno Bookstore grew fast to become a popular meet-up and cultural hangout of the time. Later in the 1980s, new bookstore chains including Kyobo Book Center and Youngpoong Bookstore joined the market. The 97-year-old bookstore gradually gave way to the new chains and public demand for online bookstores, ultimately going out of business in 2002. (Yonhap)