“Daughter of Honam, Daughter of Gwangju, Daughter of Jangheung”… Han Kang’s Hometown Celebrates Her ‘Miracle’

Han Kang Born in Jungheung-dong, Gwangju
Father Han Seungwon Born in Jangheung
Father Hosted Village Celebration in 2016
Local Lawmaker Calls It "The Miracle of Han Kang"

In November 2005, at the Yi Sang Literary Award ceremony held at the Seoul Press Center, organized by Munhak Sasangsa, the award recipient Han Kang is pictured together with her writer father Han Seungwon.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

After novelist Han Kang became the first Korean and the first Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature on October 10, there was a wave of celebration in the regions connected to her. Gwangju, where Han Kang was born, Jangheung-gun in Jeollanam-do, where her father was born and currently resides, and the broader Honam region are all celebrating her achievement. Local media and political circles are referring to her as the “Daughter of Honam,” “Daughter of Gwangju,” and “Daughter of Jangheung.”

On the morning of the 11th, local media visited Han Kang’s father, novelist Han Seungwon, for an interview. Han Seungwon lives at Haesantogul on Yulsan Literature Road in Jangheung-gun. In interviews with the press, he shared his thoughts on Han Kang’s Nobel Prize in Literature, saying, “I hoped my daughter would receive it, but considering the ages of previous Nobel laureates in literature, I did not expect it, as they have generally been older than Kang.” He added, “I didn’t watch the announcement yesterday; I heard about it from a reporter. When I spoke with Kang after the award was announced, she was also very surprised.”

Local media have emphasized Han Kang’s deep ties to Gwangju. In fact, Han Kang was born in 1970 in Jungheung-dong, Gwangju, attended Hyodong Elementary School, and later moved to Seoul. In May 2014, she published the novel “Human Acts,” which deals with the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement.

On the 11th, a citizen at Kyobo Bookstore in Jongno-gu, Seoul, is taking a certification photo after purchasing the last remaining book by Han Kang, the Nobel Prize-winning author. The Swedish Academy has selected Korean novelist Han Kang as the Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. Han Kang is the first Korean author to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

Will Han Kang’s father host another village celebration this time? Back in June 2016, when Han Kang won the Man Booker International Prize, her father invited Jangheung residents to a celebratory party. The event was attended by over 300 people, including Lee Nakyon, then Governor of Jeollanam-do, Kim Sung, Mayor of Jangheung, Hwang Juhong, a member of the National Assembly, as well as local cultural figures and residents. In the previous month of May, he also hosted a celebration for about 100 residents at the Yulsan Village Hall in Sachon-ri, Anyang-myeon, Jangheung-gun.

Moon Geumju, a member of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party of Korea representing Goheung, Boseong, Jangheung, and Gangjin, wrote on Facebook, “Since the late President Kim Dae-jung, Korea now has its first Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. The protagonist is novelist Han Kang, born in Honam.” He continued, “As the proud daughter of Honam and of Korea, she will become a role model for everyone living in our era. I look forward to seeing a second and third Han Kang emerge in the future.”