Han Kang, the author, delivering a greeting at a press conference held on November 14, 2023, at the Korean Broadcasting Hall in Mokdong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol congratulated novelist Han Kang (53) on October 10 for becoming the first Korean writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, calling it "a great achievement in the history of Korean literature and a national celebration that brings joy to all citizens."
Through a message on the social networking service (SNS) Facebook, President Yoon said, "I sincerely congratulate writer Han Kang on winning the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature."
He added, "As the Swedish Academy stated in their selection reason, 'a powerful poetic prose confronting historical trauma and revealing the fragility of human life,' the writer has sublimated the painful wounds of our modern history into great literary works," and expressed his respect for the writer who has elevated the value of Korean literature.
President Yoon also said, "I hope you continue to receive much love from readers around the world with your excellent works."
The Swedish Academy announced on the same day that "Korean writer Han Kang has been selected as this year's Nobel Prize in Literature laureate." She is the second Korean to receive a Nobel Prize in 24 years since the late former President Kim Dae-jung, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000.
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