Uiryeong-gun Hosts Cheongang Literary Award Ceremony Celebrating Outstanding Writers

Uiryeong-gun, Gyeongnam recently held the ‘13th Cheongang Literary Awards and 7th Uiryeong-gun Youth Cheongang Literary Awards Ceremony,’ established to honor the noble spirit of General Gwak Jae-woo of Cheongang and to continue literary traditions by nurturing outstanding writers.

The ceremony, hosted by the Uiryeong-gun Cheongang Literary Awards Steering Committee and organized by the Uiryeong Writers' Association, was graced by 46 award recipients along with the chairman of the county council, members of the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Assembly, the president of the Gyeongnam Writers' Association, the chief judge, heads of various institutions and social organizations, literary organization representatives, residents, and tourists.

The 13th Cheongang Literary Award Ceremony Held.
[Image provided by Uiryeong-gun]

The event took place on the last day of the 48th Uiryeong Honguijanggun Festival, on the special stage within Seodong Life Park on the 24th.

The program began with a recital of the winning poem by the grand prize winner in the poetry category, followed by a report on the judging process by the vice chairman of the Cheongang Literary Awards Steering Committee, comments from the chief judge, and the award presentation to the recipients. Winners in each category received their awards along with prize money of 10 million KRW for the grand prize in the novel category and 7 million KRW for grand prizes in other categories.

This year’s 13th Cheongang Literary Awards received 5,341 submissions from 1,013 entrants across five categories during January, reaffirming the Cheongang Literary Awards as one of the most prestigious literary awards recognized by writers.

The 2024 Cheongang Literary Awards winners were: in poetry, Choi Hyung-man (Suncheon-si, Jeonnam) for “The Final Posture”; in sijo, Min Jin-hye (Suseong-gu, Daegu) for “Autobiography of a Fallen Leaf”; in novel, Kim Bok-nam (Dong-gu, Daegu) for “Unexpected Kafka”; in children’s literature, Jung Yu-ri (Yongsan-gu, Seoul) for “Magic Frying Pan”; and in essay, Je Eun-sook (Gimhae-si) for “The Root of Water.”

Yang Wang-yong, chief judge, stated, “The Cheongang Literary Awards is a literary competition with a unique mindset, as we begin the judging process by paying respects at Chungiksa Shrine, where the memorial tablets of General Gwak Jae-woo and his 17 commanders and militia are enshrined. There were so many outstanding works that it took a long time to select the excellent pieces.”

Oh Tae-wan, chairman of the Cheongang Literary Awards Steering Committee and Uiryeong County Governor, said, “Now in its 13th year, the Cheongang Literary Awards has greatly contributed to the development of Korean literature by annually recognizing outstanding writers. We will continue to do our utmost to ensure that the Cheongang Literary Awards firmly establish themselves as the premier literary prize.”