Second Nobel Prize Winner in Korean History
Ruling and Opposition Lawmakers Applaud Together During National Assembly Audit
At the news of author Han Kang, the second Korean in history to receive a Nobel Prize, the National Assembly's audit session briefly paused its political disputes to unite in celebration.
On the evening of the 10th, Jeon Jae-su, chairman of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "During our ongoing audit session, breaking news came that Han Kang, the first Korean novelist to win the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Let's give a big round of applause."
Yang Moon-seok, also from the same party, extended a hand of reconciliation to Shin Dong-wook of the People Power Party, saying, "You don't need to apologize around the time of the Nobel Prize celebration." The two lawmakers had been engaged in a heated debate just moments before. At the same time, applause for the Nobel Prize winner also erupted in the Administrative and Security Committee and the Planning and Finance Committee, where the ruling and opposition parties were in confrontation.
Outside the audit hall, congratulatory messages poured in from the political sphere. On the morning of the 11th, Choo Kyung-ho, floor leader of the People Power Party, said at the audit strategy meeting, "I sincerely congratulate author Han Kang on winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. She has brought great joy to many who love Korean literature." He added, "Many people had thought that due to language and nationality limitations, we could not win the Nobel Prize in Literature, but she has shown that there are no longer any limits for us."
People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon wrote on his social media the day before, "Congratulations to author Han Kang on winning the Nobel Prize in Literature," adding, "Today, I will happily listen to the EBS audiobook hosted by author Han Kang. Such a day has come." Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, said, "This news sends a thrill of joy throughout my body," and "We celebrate with the people the great achievement of Korean literature and Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature, who healed the turbulent modern history through literature."
The Swedish Academy announced on the 10th local time that Korean novelist Han Kang has been selected as the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. The Swedish Academy praised Han Kang's literature as "powerful poetic prose that confronts historical trauma and exposes the fragility of human life." It further stated, "Han Kang confronts historical trauma and invisible rules in her works, revealing the fragility of human life in each piece. She possesses a unique perception of the connection between body and soul, the living and the dead, and has become an innovator of modern prose with her poetic and experimental style."
Han Kang debuted in 1993 with the poem "Eoreumkkot" (Ice Flower) and won the New Year's Literary Contest the following year with her short story "Bulgeun Ddeot" (Red Anchor). Over 30 years, she has risen as a representative Korean writer with a thematic consciousness deeply exploring the human inner world and an expressive power that resonates emotionally. With universal themes and expressions that resonate with readers both domestically and internationally, she became the first Korean author to receive the British Booker Prize and the French M?dicis Prize.
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