Pony Jung Foundation Selects Han Kang as Winner of the 18th Pony Jung Innovation Award

Award Ceremony Scheduled for October 17

The Pony Jung Foundation announced on the 19th that writer Han Kang has been selected as the recipient of the 18th Pony Jung Innovation Award.

Hangang Artist (Photo by Ponyjung Foundation)

Chung Mong-gyu, chairman of the Pony Jung Foundation, stated, "Since her debut, Han Kang has captivated both domestic and international readers with her profound exploration of the human psyche and her evocative expression. She has elevated the status of Korean literature by becoming the first Korean author to win both the UK’s Booker Prize and France’s Medici Prize, drawing global attention to the Korean literary scene."

Han Kang received the Booker Prize in 2016 for her novel "The Vegetarian." Through this work, she delved into the universal theme of human desire, and it is regarded as a novel that broke away from the marginality of Korean literature-once limited by language and subject matter-allowing it to join the mainstream of world literature.

Her full-length novel "I Do Not Bid Farewell," published five years after winning the Booker Prize, depicts the tragedy of the Jeju 4·3 Incident through the perspectives of three women. With this work, Han Kang became the first Korean author to win the Medici Prize for Foreign Literature last year.

Last August, "I Do Not Bid Farewell" was translated and published in France under the title "Impossibles adieux." Earlier this year, Han Kang won the Emile Guimet Asian Literature Prize in France for this work. "The Vegetarian" has been sold in 40 countries, and her other works such as "Human Acts" and "The White Book" have been translated into multiple languages, receiving critical acclaim abroad.

The award ceremony will be held on October 17 at Pony Jung Hall on the first floor of I-Park Tower in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The Pony Jung Innovation Award was established in 2006, named after the nickname "Pony Jung" of the late Chung Se-yung, honorary chairman of HDC Group (formerly Hyundai Development Company) and founder of Hyundai Motor Company. The award is given to individuals or organizations that have brought about positive change in society through innovative thinking, and includes a prize of 200 million won and a commemorative plaque.