Through Kim Gyuna's Facebook post
"The Ohshitpal of The Boy is Coming..."
"Played by the publisher's lobby" and other harsh words
“The Decline of Nobel Value, Proof of Literary Hypocrisy, and Justification of Historical Distortion"
A domestic writer has sparked controversy by posting a disparaging article about the significance of novelist Han Kang (54) becoming the first Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
On the 10th, writer Kim Gyuna wrote on her personal Facebook, "The meaning of winning the Nobel Prize in Literature is the decline of Nobel value, proof of literary hypocrisy, and justification of historical distortion," adding, "While it is clear that the winner is a victor of the era, it is not an award to be proudly remembered in history."
She continued, "If it had to be awarded to someone in the East Asian region, it should have gone to China's Yan Lianke," and argued, "The literature of this year's winner (Han Kang) and Yan Lianke differs significantly in weight and texture, as well as in dignity and emotional impact."
She then belittled Han Kang's award by saying, "If they compared the two and still chose her, then all the judges at the Swedish Academy must have been political, materialistic, or just went through a list and spun a fan. Or was it because she is a woman?”
Kim stated, "The novels by the award-winning author that supposedly 'face historical trauma' are all historical distortions," explaining, "'The Boy Who Escaped' is a story about the May 18 Democratic Uprising (Oshippal) where middle school boys like flowers and innocent citizens of Gwangju were brutally massacred by our country's military, and 'I Do Not Say Goodbye' tells the tale of the Jeju 4.3 Incident (Jeju Sasam), claiming that pure citizens were massacred by our country's police."
She added, "The fact that the Swedish Academy issued such a review and praised it means they know nothing about Korean history and can only be interpreted as having been manipulated by publishing house lobbying."
She said, "Many people may celebrate because she is the first in our country, but I only feel ashamed and sad."
On the 11th, Kim also posted on Facebook, “Even among those who identify as right-wing, many are congratulating her. I think it’s because they don’t know what kind of books she has written. I’m not writing this out of jealousy. I’m not withholding congratulations out of envy. I also want to be proud of and congratulate a globally prestigious award. I don’t want to be ostracized or hated in the literary world.”
She added, “However, as someone who has stepped into literature, and as a poor writer who believes literature must at least keep the human spine straight, if the only reason to rejoice is that she is Korean, then that’s not right. Someone has to speak the truth and make it known. Those who say it’s fiction so historical distortion is okay, or that since Korea won it should be celebrated regardless of political leanings, do not understand the power of literature or the power of novels.”
Meanwhile, according to the author description on the Yes24 website, Kim debuted in 2006 when her short story ‘My Man’s Dream’ won the Busan Ilbo New Writer’s Contest, and in 2007 her short story ‘Knife’ won the Chosun Ilbo New Writer’s Contest. In 2017, she published her first full-length novel ‘Trust Me.’ She currently contributes articles under the title ‘A World Like a Novel’ to the Chosun Ilbo and serializes short stories on the internet media Sky Daily.
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