Broadcaster Illiya Steps Forward as an Ambassador of Korean Literature

Broadcaster Ilya Belyakov, familiar to us through JTBC's 'Non-Summit' and other programs, has taken on the role of a cultural ambassador spreading Korean literature in Russia by translating and publishing a collection of short stories by the renowned Korean writer Hyun Jin-geon, titled 'B Sagam and Love Letter,' into Russian, together with Kim Sun-myung, director of the Russian Education and Culture Center Pushkin House.

Originally from Vladivostok, Russia, Ilya introduced Russia to Korea as the Russian representative on 'Non-Summit,' promoted tourism to Vladivostok through various broadcasts, wrote columns related to Russia for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Foundation, and served as a Russian ambassador during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, playing many roles in promoting Russia domestically.

At the same time, he is a Korea expert who majored in Korean language and Korean studies and has lived in Korea for over 16 years. Having majored in Korean at Yonsei University and pursued doctoral studies at the University of South Carolina, he has written various works and showcased his writing skills through this translation.

Based on an accurate understanding of the Korean language and culture, this collection of Hyun Jin-geon's short stories was already published early last year by the famous Russian publisher AST under the title 'A Lucky Day' and received favorable reviews from the Russian literary community. Director Kim Sun-myung, who co-translated the work, is also one of the top Russian experts in Korea and has translated and published various books. Pushkin House is well recognized as an institution akin to a Russian cultural center officially acknowledged by the Russian government.

This collection of Hyun Jin-geon's short stories is part of Pushkin House's 'Reading Korean Culture in Russian' series, which has already published works such as 'War Diary' and 'Selected Poems of Yun Dong-ju.' Published bilingually in Korean and Russian, this series aims to convey Korean culture to Russians and provide Korean readers with quality works and editions to collect. Notably, this book features a collaboration between literature and painting, as the renowned artist Gasan Jung Myung-hee contributed one of her artworks as the cover image.

The series installment titled 'This One Letter' includes an illustration of a soup bowl reminiscent of the seolleongtang (ox bone soup) from 'A Lucky Day,' effectively capturing the essence of Hyun Jin-geon's works. Through such diverse collaborations, it is hoped that this will serve as an opportunity to revisit the works of Hyun Jin-geon, often called the 'Chekhov of Korea,' and further promote Korean literature abroad.