A Seoul Institute of the Arts Student Shares Han River's Character: "Always a Good Person"

Visually Impaired Student "Even Visited in Hospital After Accident"

"When I had major surgery due to an accident, she even came to the hospital and left me an envelope with money."

This was said by Kim, a severely visually impaired person and a disciple of novelist Han Kang, the Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. Yonhap News reported on the 20th a phone interview with Kim (mid-30s), who was a student when Han Kang was a professor in the Creative Writing Department at Seoul Institute of the Arts. Han Kang served as a professor at this school from 2007 to 2018.

Han Kang, the first Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, is delivering her acceptance speech at the 18th Pony Chung Innovation Awards ceremony held on the 17th at I'Park Tower in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Joint Press Corps/Yonhap News]

Kim, who requested not to disclose personal information, said that he has maintained a teacher-student relationship with Han Kang since taking her novel writing class at Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2011. He explained the reason for the interview as, "It may be presumptuous, but I contacted her out of a sense of gratitude to my professor."

Completely blind, Kim continued his studies after entering the Creative Writing Department by reading books using Braille or computer voice recognition functions. He also said that Professor Han Kang was very considerate, which made his school life meaningful.

At that time, Han Kang’s novel Heullabeo Sigan (Greek Lesson) (2011) was published, and Kim recalled having conversations about the work with her in her office. He told Yonhap News, "There is a character in that work who loses their sight, just like me."

The novel Heullabeo Sigan features a male Greek language instructor who is losing his eyesight and a female student who has lost her ability to speak. Through their meeting and interaction, the author conveys moments of human loss, pain, and hope.

Kim also mentioned that after he suffered serious injuries in an accident in 2019 and underwent surgery, Han Kang visited him in the hospital. He explained, "I cannot see, and while walking, I misstepped where the handrail was not properly installed and fell about 4 meters, causing severe injuries. I had two major surgeries, and I think my father contacted Professor Han Kang because she knew I respected her."

He continued, "The professor came to the hospital to check on me and later I found out she even gave my father an envelope with money. She is truly a kind person."

After the surgery, Kim is paralyzed from the waist down. He added that even after Han Kang resigned from her professorship at Seoul Institute of the Arts and after he graduated, they have continued their teacher-student relationship.

Han Kang, the first Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, attended the 18th PonyJeong Innovation Award ceremony held on the 17th at I'Park Tower in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News/Joint Press Corps]

Kim said, "The professor knows quite a few people in theater groups for the disabled and directors, and she arranged job opportunities for me, saying, 'Would you like to work here?'" He added, "Last winter, the professor invited me to watch a performance made by disabled people in downtown Seoul, and we had a meal together."

When the reporter asked, "What did you think when you heard about Han Kang winning the Nobel Prize in Literature?" Kim replied, "I was happy and thought, 'The person who deserved it has received it.'" He explained, "Beyond the work itself, I think Professor Han Kang herself is someone worthy of the Nobel Prize. She is always steady and consistently a good person."