A picture of philosopher and author Alain de Botton posing with several Korean female fans went viral on social media on Friday.

The Swiss author himself uploaded the picture with a short sentence “Working hard in Seoul” on Twitter Friday morning. In contrast to the words, Botton is apparently having a fun time, sporting a bright smile with some 10 female Korean fans who came to get a photo with him at a digital forum held in Seoul.

De Botton visited Seoul for the second time since 2011 to participate in the Seoul Digital Forum, which kicked off its two-day run on Thursday.

He gave out an 80-minute keynote address on “Purposes of Collaboration -Why ECOllaboration” on Friday.

The author is particularly popular among Korean female readers thanks to the subtle sensibilities in his writings. Noticing such popularity, another forum speaker Simon Rogers (@smfrogers) tweeted: "This is what happens if you‘re @alaindebotton #sdf2013 pic.twitter.com/oynEzHAFjW"

The French author’s previous books, including “Essays on Love” (1993), “The Art of Travel” (2002) and “The Architecture of Happiness” (2006), have been well received by Koreans, especially female readers. More than 10 million copies of his books were sold in Korea. 


By Park Sui, Intern reporter
(suipark@heraldcorp.com)