EBS Culture, Video of 20s Traveling to Hangang and Yeosu Released
Amidst the intense interest in Han Kang, the Nobel Prize-winning author, a video of him appearing on a broadcast after publishing his first novel in his twenties has been revealed, drawing attention.
Han Kang, 27 years old, appeared on the EBS program "Literary Journey" aired in 1996. [Photo by YouTube EBS Education Archive]
On the 15th, EBS Education's YouTube channel uploaded a video titled "What kind of emotions does the Nobel Prize-winning author's travels in his twenties evoke? Following the footsteps of the author's novel 'Love in Yeosu'." The video is an edited version of the 1996 EBS broadcast "Literary Journey - Han Kang's Love in Yeosu," featuring Han Kang at the age of 27. 'Love in Yeosu' is Han Kang's first collection of short stories, published in 1995.
Han Kang, who visited Yeosu two years after writing the novel, appears wearing a red top, jeans, and carrying a backpack. When the production team asked Han Kang, who arrived in Yeosu seven hours later than scheduled due to a flight cancellation, "It must have been tough coming here," Han shyly smiled and replied, "No, not at all." A narration accompanied Han's fresh and youthful appearance at 27, saying, "A young woman who still looks too young to bear the title of novelist. Her work, which brought her the attention of many critics and established her name as a novelist, is 'Love in Yeosu,' set in Yeosu."
Han Kang, 27 years old, appeared on EBS's "Literary Journey" aired in 1996. [Photo source=YouTube EBS Education Archive]
In the video, Han Kang tours various locations such as Yeosu Port and Namsan-dong, the settings of the novel, sharing behind-the-scenes stories of her writing. Regarding why Yeosu was chosen as the setting, Han explained, "It can be said that it is because of the name Yeosu. Yeosu (麗水) means 'beautiful water,' which is the name of this region, but it can also be written with the characters for 'traveler's melancholy' (旅愁), so I chose Yeosu because of this dual meaning."
Han then visits places like Jinnamgwan, Dolsando, and Geumosan, observing the scenery with her distinctive gaze. After touring the Yeosu Fisheries Cooperative Auction Market and Soje Village in Soho-dong, she said, "I think everyone has wounds they cannot speak about, and even those who seem ordinary on the outside have one scar each. I wanted to tell stories about that. So I created such characters."
The video surpassed 310,000 views within 20 hours of its release on the 16th, receiving 12,000 'likes' and over 1,400 comments. Netizens who watched the video responded with comments such as, "This person will become a Nobel laureate who will shine for Korea for a long time 28 years later," "Always calm and gentle," "It feels like seeing my first love from university again," and "She looks pretty much the same in her twenties and fifties. Her voice is unchanged as well."
Some focused on the opportunity to see Han Kang in her twenties, before she became a widely known author, commenting, "I see the reason why content that must be created should be quietly made even if it is not popular right away."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
