Yoon In-chon: "Han River Nobel Literature Prize, a Great Achievement of Korean Literature and Publishing"

Steady Support Promised Centered on the Literature Translation Institute of Korea and Others

Yoo In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, conveyed his congratulations and encouragement to writer Han Kang, the first Korean to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

At the '38th Book Day' ceremony held on the 11th at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, he said, "This award is a monumental event as it is the first Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to a Korean writer and the first to an Asian female writer," and congratulated, "It is a thrilling achievement for Korean literature and Korean publishing, as well as a national celebration."

Han's works have been supported by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea and translated into twenty-eight languages, published in seventy-six books. In particular, "The Vegetarian," which won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize, and "Human Acts," which received the French M?dicis Prize and the ?mile Guimet Asian Literature Prize, have been translated into various languages including English, French, and Chinese. The Literature Translation Institute of Korea is a public institution under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, launched in 2001 during the tenure of Minister Kim Han-gil to globalize Korean literature.

The Korea Arts Council has also promoted Han Kang through support for participation in international creative programs since 1998, support for emerging writers since 2000, and participation in the residency program at the University of Warsaw in Poland in 2014.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will continue its support to widely promote Korean literature worldwide following this award. It will continue to implement the literary facility resident writer program and support for writers’ writing spaces, and expand the literary sharing book distribution project. It will also launch a project to introduce outstanding Korean literary works and activate criticism that highlights them.

Minister Yoo said, "As Korean literature is recognized as central to world literature, we will continue to support literary writers so they can create with peace of mind and ensure Korean literature is loved by many readers overseas."