Mid-Career Poet Kwak Hyo-hwan Appointed as President of the Korea Literature Translation Institute

"The Right Person to Promote the Globalization of Korean Literature and the Spread of the Korean Literary Wave"

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 14th that Mr. Kwak Hyo-hwan has been appointed as the president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. His term is three years, until May 2024.

President Kwak is a mid-career poet. His representative poetry collections include Indio Yeoin (2006), Jidoe Eomneun Jip (2010), Seulpeumui Ppyeodae (2014), and Neoneun (2018). Since 1992, he has worked as secretary general and executive director at the Daesan Foundation, carrying out projects supporting Korean literature translation, research, publishing, and international literary exchange. He has also served as a director of the Korean Poets Association and the Writers Association of Korea, a member of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Literature Promotion Policy Committee, and executive chair of the Seoul International Literature Forum.

The Ministry stated, "Having worked for a long time at the Daesan Foundation, he has built the capability to efficiently promote translation support projects," and added, "He is the right person to advance the globalization of Korean literature and the spread of the Korean literary wave, combining a high understanding and expertise in overall cultural policy." They also expressed expectations that "he will support the overseas expansion of Korean literature through effective policies reflecting the opinions of the literary community."