"Wholehearted Support for Fellow Writers' Struggle... 'Artist Rights Protection Act' Must Pass"
Long Novel 'Farewell' Released After 7 Years via Subscription Ebook Platform 'Millie's Library'
"A Coming-of-Age Story of a Boy Different from Previous Works... Written Excitingly with a Spirit of Challenge and Adventure"
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Novelist Kim Young-ha (photo) recently expressed his hope that the ultimate solution to the Lee Sang Literary Award incident can be achieved through legislation, and that the 20th National Assembly would pass and conclude with a bill commonly referred to as the 'Artist Rights Protection Act.'
On the 20th, at a press conference held at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Sogong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, for the release of his new novel Farewell Greeting, Kim Young-ha shared his views on the Lee Sang Literary Award incident. He said, "I wholeheartedly support the struggle and self-sacrifice of fellow writers to reclaim the rights of creators and artists," adding, "In particular, I find writer Yoon Yi-hyung's decision very heartbreaking."
However, Kim Young-ha stated, "Writers cannot always solve problems by sacrificing what they have and throwing themselves into the fight," and added, "I believe the ultimate solution lies in legislation." He continued, "There is a bill known by the abbreviation 'Artist Rights Protection Act' currently pending in the National Assembly. Since the general election is approaching, I think there is a high possibility it will be discarded, but I hope the National Assembly will pass the bill as a final act and close the 20th National Assembly."
He emphasized that not only in the literary world but across the entire arts community, artists' status is weak, and therefore it is necessary to guarantee this status through law.
"This is not only a problem in the literary world but throughout the arts community. Artists' status is very unstable and thus weak. Therefore, they are inevitably vulnerable to those in power, which could be corporations or senior artists. As we have learned from decades of experience, the improvement of workers' rights did not happen because employers suddenly became benevolent, but because workers were legally guaranteed the right to unite and fight, and could receive support from colleagues through labor unions. The Artist Rights Protection Act is a request to grant artists the status to unite on their own."
Kim Young-ha added, "I believe that the only desirable solution is for artists to form labor unions, unite through these unions, and fight together. I am asking for the creation of such a legal foundation."
Meanwhile, Kim Young-ha's new novel Farewell Greeting, his first full-length novel in seven years since 2013's Memoir of a Murderer, will be first released through the subscription-based e-book platform 'Millie's Library' via its 'Millie Original Paper Book Subscription.' The Millie Original Paper Book Subscription service costs 15,900 KRW per month and allows users to access about 50,000 e-books owned by Millie's Library, as well as receive a new novel in paper book form every two months. Farewell Greeting is the third book offered through this subscription. In April, a new novel by Kim Hoon is scheduled to be released. Farewell Greeting will be exclusively available on Millie's Library for three months before being distributed to bookstores nationwide.
Regarding the exclusive release of Farewell Greeting on Millie's Library for three months, Kim Young-ha said it is not an exclusivity in the strict sense. "I think this kind of format has been common since the beginning of modern literature in the early 20th century. Writers often serialized their works in newspapers before compiling them into books, which meant the works were initially available only to newspaper readers. Many works were also serialized or published in quarterly magazines. Among my works, Empire of Light was first serialized in a quarterly magazine before being published as a book, and Quiz Show was serialized in a daily newspaper before its book release."
Kim Young-ha described Farewell Greeting as "a coming-of-age story of a boy set in the near future." He added, "It is somewhat different from the stories I have written so far, so I wrote it with a sense of adventure and challenge. I enjoyed writing it, but I am not sure how readers will respond."
He also shared his thoughts on publishing through an e-book platform, saying he approached it with an open mind to all possibilities. "I always get bored with doing things for a long time and feel frustrated doing things the usual way. This is a new service, and I felt all possibilities were open. So I thought I would challenge myself with a story different from what I have written before. Also, since it is initially released as a kind of membership service, the pressure is less, and I thought I could write more boldly. I believe these factors gave me more courage in choosing the novel's content and theme."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
