1st 'Daehanminguk Picture Book Award' Grand Prize Goes to 'Sarajin Jeonyeok' and 'Jultagi Hanpan'

8 Selected from 609 Entries
Total Prize Money 100 Million KRW
Integrated Support Planned for Overseas Export

The grand prize winners of the 1st ‘Korea Picture Book Award’ are Kwon Jeong-min’s Disappeared Evening (Changbi) and Min Ha’s A Tightrope Walk (Gloyeon). Each prize carries a cash award of 15 million KRW. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Publication Industry Promotion Agency selected a total of eight winning works from 609 submissions.

Disappeared Evening depicts events that unfold when a live pig is delivered to an apartment in an era where all food is easily delivered because there is no time to cook in restaurants. The work showcases the author’s contemporary insight, artistry, and literary quality through visually engaging direction that evokes tension and curiosity, combined with comical humor. A Tightrope Walk is a ‘comprehensive art picture book’ that uses the tightrope line, visually interpreting traditional art and music in a modern way to visualize rhythm and maximize the active participation of readers who turn the pages.

Special awards were given to five works: ▲ Hwang In-chan & Lee Myung-ae’s Am I Pretty? (Bombit), ▲ Ruri’s Mephisto (Biryongso), ▲ Kim Young-hwa’s The Wind Blowing at Mudeungiwat (Iyagikkot), ▲ Ko Jeong-soon’s Okchundang (Gilbut Children), and ▲ Kang Hye-sook’s It Was the Tiger’s Birthday (Uri School). The Newcomer Award went to ▲ Jo Shin-ae’s Goronggorong House (Sakyejul). Each of the five special award winners and the newcomer winner received the Publication Promotion Agency Director’s Award and a cash prize of 7 million KRW. The publishing companies of the winning works were awarded 3.5 million KRW each.

The eight winning works will receive overseas marketing support through the Publication Promotion Agency’s integrated export platform ‘K-BOOK’ and will be provided with various export support benefits linked to next year’s overseas expansion projects, including participation in international book fairs.

Kang Su-sang, Director of the Media Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, “As Korean picture books are recognized overseas for their outstanding quality and popularity, we plan to enhance the global recognition of K-picture books and establish an export foundation by discovering excellent Korean picture books through the ‘Korea Picture Book Award’ and supporting their overseas export.”

The awards ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. on the 5th at the Korea Press Center.