Kim Mella 'Ieung Ieung' 15th Young Writers' Award Grand Prize

Kim Mella's novel 'Ieung Ieung' has been selected as the grand prize winner of the 15th Young Writers Award, publisher Munhakdongne announced on the 7th.

The seven winning works of this year's Young Writers Award include 'Ieung Ieung,' along with 'Anyway, the World Will End (Gong Hyeonjin),' 'Universal Culture (Kim Gitae),' 'Paju (Kim Namsuk),' 'Companion Debt (Kim Jiyeon),' 'Honmono (Seong Haena),' and 'Uncanny Valley (Jeon Jiyoung)'.

The Young Writers Award honors seven short and medium-length stories published in the past year by writers who debuted within the last 10 years. While one grand prize winner is selected, all seven works are recognized as awardees to highlight and encourage young writers. Each of the seven winners receives a prize of 7 million KRW and a specially made trophy without any differentiation.

Author Kim Mella [Photo courtesy of Munhakdongne, (c) Onjeom]

Kim Mella began her literary career in 2014 by winning the Jaum & Moeum New Writer Award. She has published the short story collections 'At Least Twice,' 'Dream Your Dream,' the novel 'High Sense of the Nonexistent Floor,' and the essay collection 'Melageun Mind.' She has received the Munji Literary Award, Lee Hyo-seok Literary Award, and the 12th and 13th Young Writers Awards.

The judging panel explained that 'Ieung Ieung' was selected as the grand prize winner due to its bold imagination regarding sexuality and its profound exploration of 'companionship' and 'love,' which garnered widespread support. Kim Jiyeon's 'Companion Debt' and Gong Hyeonjin's 'Anyway, the World Will End' drew attention for vividly depicting the realities and struggles of the younger generation. Kim Gitae's 'Universal Culture' and Seong Haena's 'Honmono' were praised for their keen capture of hypocrisy and malice, combined with witty prose. Additionally, Kim Namsuk's 'Paju' and Jeon Jiyoung's 'Uncanny Valley' were commended for their skillful portrayal of human violence and anxiety through characters' relationships and settings.

The judges' comments and an interview with the grand prize winner will be published in the spring issue of the quarterly magazine 'Munhakdongne,' and the anthology of winning works will be released in April. Munhakdongne stated that, in line with the award's purpose of widely promoting young writers, the anthology will be sold at a special price of 7,700 KRW for one year after publication.