‘KING’ of Hay-on-Wye Richard Booth has been given a right royal welcome in South Korea where he was the honoured guest at a book festival.

Richard gave the opening and closing speeches at the annual festival in Gunpo, which styles itself as a book reading city.

He told Koreans that book towns are the “new international economy for a new international world” telling the story of how he made Hay the thriving book town it is today after he began buying up collections from closing libraries in the 1960s.

However he was also impressed and inspired by Gunpo’s non-commercial attitude towards books and its non-elitist festival and hopes the city will unite with Hay in the future.

His PR manager, Patricia Daly, who accompanied Richard on the trip, said: “Gunpo has a very inspirational attitude. Their attitude to books is not purely commercial in that 89 per cent of the population has a library card. They are really pushing the libraries. It’s more about culture than money. On the street there are book bases where people can take books free of charge.

“At the front of their city hall they have a children’s library. The mayor has had the front steps lowered to make access easier and if children have ideas they are encouraged to go and see him.”

Richard and Patricia were also impressed with the hospitality of their hosts.

Flown first class, the pair were put up in a top hotel, wined and dined and accompanied by an interpreter and a photographer. Children had lined up to receive Richard’s signature.

“You could get used to that kind of life. We travelled in convoy everywhere we went. It was a little bit like how celebrities are treated, nothing was too much trouble,” said Patricia.

On a visit to the Buddhist Surisa Temple in Gunpo Richard was delighted to be presented with the head monk’s personal Buddha which now takes pride of place in his Cusop home.

And as a memento of their visit they have received a leather bound album of photographs.

Their stay follows a visit by Gunpo’s mayor, Kim Yun Joo and others from the city to Hay in May this year.

Richard hopes the new international relationship could lead to Hay and Gunpo being united through books as twin towns.