Korea to be Guest of Honor at '2023 Brisbane Writers Festival'... Promoting K-Literature

Invited as Guest of Honor at the 61st Brisbane Writers Festival
Jeong Bora and Park Sangyoung Attend

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 29th that it will participate as the guest of honor country at the 'Brisbane Writers Festival' held in Brisbane, Australia from May 10 to 14, together with the Korean Cultural Center in Sydney, the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, and the Korea Publication Industry Promotion Agency.

Celebrating its 61st edition this year, the 'Brisbane Writers Festival' is a large-scale literary festival held annually around May in Brisbane, Australia. During the festival, over 160 detailed events take place.

Writer Jeong Bora is discussing the topic "Global (K-Story) Achievements, Significance, and Potential of Korean Women Writers" at the '2022 Women Leaders Forum' held on the 19th at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

The event will invite authors such as Jeong Bora, author of "The Curse Rabbit," who was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize International category; Park Sangyoung, author of "Love in the Big City," who was a first-round nominee; and Bae Sua, beloved for her unique writing style and tone. Poet Kim Minjeong, known for her candid and dynamic writing style, will showcase the diverse aspects of K-literature through poetry readings and performances.

As children’s literature and illustration authors, internationally recognized illustrators Lee Jihyun and Lee Gihun will attend. They will conduct art activity programs and discussions with authors tailored to the perspectives of children and youth, meeting young Australian readers. Korean-American author and translator Krys Lee will also participate in the festival, engaging in a dialogue with global authors on the theme of ‘empathy.’

This is the first time Korea has been selected as the guest of honor country at a literary festival in Australia. Melissa Bates, CEO of the festival, said, “Korea, selected as the focus country this year, is gaining attention in various cultural aspects, and literature is one of them,” adding, “Considering the dynamism of Korean literature, this year’s focus country program will be very exciting.”