[Kim Daesik & Kim Hyeyeon's AHA] "Han River Nobel Prize Win, an Opportunity to Enhance Literary Diversity"

⑩ Lee Gwangho, Literary Critic and Representative of Literature and Intellect

Editor's NoteAsia Economy has decided to explore, from the perspectives of engineers and artists, what changes the rapidly advancing generative AI will bring to the field of artistic creation and what 'humans' should contemplate. Accordingly, we have prepared a monthly corner where Professor Kim Dae-sik of KAIST's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and choreographer Kim Hye-yeon (CEO of Yeonist) either hold dialogues with artists or discuss works. The title of the corner, 'AHA,' stands for 'AI, Human & Art.' Through Professor Kim Dae-sik, who passionately explores the future of generative AI, and choreographer Kim Hye-yeon, who boldly integrates generative AI with dance, we hope you take a step closer to the profound themes of AI, humans, and art.

Kwangho Lee, literary critic and representative of Literature and Intellect. Photo by Younghan Heo

Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature raises profound and diverse questions not only within literary circles but across our entire society about what we should contemplate going forward and where we should ultimately arrive. The so-called 'Han Kang effect' is a message urging us to make more visible and mature the discourse themes of our past, present, and future engraved behind that noble achievement. Now that AI has begun to penetrate nearly every field of artistic creation, how should our attitude be in response to such a message? Literary critic Lee Kwang-ho, CEO of Literature and Intellect, focuses on the unique value of humans and the meaning of creation. We met Lee, who attended the Nobel Prize ceremony and witnessed Korean literature entering the center of the world stage, on the 15th at the Literature and Intellect building in Mapo-gu, Seoul.

-What was your impression of Han Kang receiving the award at the Nobel ceremony?

▲This experience was a first for both me and Korean literature. It was a special yet cautious moment. It was deeply meaningful that I could be part of the first occasion where Korean literature stood at the center of world literature. Of course, being the first time, there was a tension that comes with unfamiliarity and uncertainty about what might happen.

However, this experience felt like a kind of rite of passage. Once you overcome the tension that comes with the first time, you realize that it is not necessarily such a difficult or extraordinary thing, or that Korean literature is indeed capable. Beyond personal joy, it was meaningful to participate because it laid the groundwork for more Korean writers to step onto the global stage. Now, I believe it is time for each of us to consider what steps to take from the position we stand. I sincerely hope that this achievement will not end as a one-time success but will lead to a sustainable expansion of literary horizons.

"Han Kang's Nobel Prize Win Should Lead to Expansion of Literary Horizons"

-How was Han Kang at the ceremony, and what do you think this achievement means?

▲The attention and enthusiasm for Han Kang at the venue were tremendous. I imagine Han Kang herself must have found it very challenging. Nevertheless, she received the award very calmly without showing any signs of difficulty. I believe this entire process has become a new turning point for the development of Korean literature. However, since literature does not represent a nation, I think it is inappropriate to interpret this in the context of national prestige from a literary discourse perspective.

Still, it can be viewed in relation to the Korean context. At least Korean-language literature can still be considered a minority literature. The market is very small, and consequently, the number of readers is limited, so there is always the challenge of going through the difficult process of translation. Moreover, it is true that the possibility of establishing itself as international literature is low. In this regard, while literature cannot be said to represent a nation, it can at least be seen as a very important motivation from the perspective of Korean-language literature.

From the left, Professor Kim Dae-sik, CEO Lee Kwang-ho, Choreographer Kim Hye-yeon. Photo by Heo Young-han

Especially, the symbolism of this award is significant. It is the first time in the long history of the Nobel Prize in Literature that an Asian female writer has won. The 2022 Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux remarked that "the Nobel Prize is a system for men and needs modernization," showing its conservative nature.

In this context, it is meaningful that attention was paid to Korean-language literature as well as to Asian female languages. It also became an opportunity for Korean literature's originality and depth to be recognized globally, creating new opportunities for other Korean writers. However, we must not forget that this is fundamentally an award given to a writer.

-What is the future of Korean literature on the global stage? And will the 'Han Kang effect' continue?

▲Han Kang's Nobel Prize win was an important moment for Korean literature to gain global attention. But to maintain this momentum, we need to create an environment where diverse voices can be heard beyond a single star writer.

Because the Korean literary market is so small, it always faces the problem of polarization. Diversity is hard to guarantee. In a large market, writers who produce unique works can sustain themselves by selling around ten thousand copies, allowing them to continue writing. But in Korea, it is difficult for writers who write unique or discomforting works to have such a stable writing environment.

"An Opportunity to Secure Diversity in Korean Literature"

Han Kang's works are also not very mainstream. They were somewhat outside the mainstream of Korean literature. This award overcame such an environment and became an opportunity for Korean literature to gain diversity. Many people think literature should always be beautiful and comforting, but Han Kang's works expand the spectrum of literary taste by providing perspectives that challenge us and change our sensibilities in ways that are not simply beautiful or comforting.

Recent statistics show that many middle-aged male readers who previously did not engage with literature have started reading literary books following this award. If these newly interested readers feel 'there is this kind of literature too' and develop a desire to explore other good works by different writers, then the 'Han Kang effect' could become a foundation for a virtuous cycle in the literary ecosystem, increasing diversity rather than being a one-off event.

-We have entered an era where AI can generate text. How will this reality affect literature and human creativity? Furthermore, could AI write like Han Kang?

▲I am truly curious as well. The current shock seems even greater than when the internet world opened. The speed of change is much faster. Previously, the internet experience was about the vast acquisition of information through search. But generative AI is about the creation of information itself. It is not a simple technical innovation of turning something into something else but fundamentally questions the essence of human creativity that creates something from nothing.

This redefines the creative process itself and opens a completely different dimension. Since AI generation is an issue that cannot be avoided by rejection, we are fundamentally faced with very deep and intense questions about what human-specific creative or generative acts really are.

"We Must Question What Human-Specific Creative Acts Truly Are"

However, I tend to believe there are areas AI fundamentally cannot generate. For example, our publishing house has released over 600 poetry collections. Suppose AI learns all these collections. Then AI might be able to write poems that appear very plausible and impressive on the surface. The difference between AI creativity and human creativity might be as thin as a sheet of paper. Sometimes humans might even write less polished works than AI.

But what we call 'the greatest art' involves a decisive advancement created by that thin sheet of paper difference. This is not something achieved merely by learning. It might be a spiritual or physical dimension beyond learning and logic. And it must contain energy. I believe that depicting the spiritual world through the body is a unique ability only humans possess.

Whether AI can create such energy remains questionable. I do not think the difference is very large, but I speculate a small difference will surely remain. Some people might not notice this small difference, but I believe it can be discerned in the realm of criticism and literary analysis.

From the left, Professor Kim Dae-sik, CEO Lee Kwang-ho, Choreographer Kim Hye-yeon. Photo by Heo Young-han

-Literature has the power to let us experience things we have not directly encountered. Is there an essential difference between humans experiencing new things through literature and AI experiencing new things?

▲AI learns information without a body. Humans, lacking AI-level information capacity, learn through their bodies. So, the creative language of a person who has learned through their body differs from the creativity of AI, which has learned vast but intangible information. For example, if AI learned Han Kang's literature, it might replicate her level of description. But there are sensations never before expressed in language?like a skin problem or feelings about the weather.

Of course, these are common sensations, but new language can emerge to express subtle nuances others have not experienced. The artistic ability to express one's bodily sensations in language never before existing in the world is something AI without a body would find difficult to do.

Moreover, readers also have bodies, so their reception of literature is not the same as AI learning information. AI has no reason to experience the tactile sensation of paper or the feeling when coffee spills or saliva drops. I hope readers might detect differences even if the AI authorship is not disclosed. The difference may not be large, but valuing that difference itself is a somewhat paradoxical pride humans with bodies have regarding AI.

From the left, Professor Kim Dae-sik, CEO Lee Kwang-ho, Choreographer Kim Hye-yeon. Photo by Heo Young-han

-In an era dominated by algorithm-based short-form content, how do you view the 'text hip' phenomenon where books are consumed as cultural symbols?

▲Rather than choosing, people consume 'provided' videos, so the 'text hip' phenomenon reflects an interesting cultural change mirroring the times. Some might criticize people treating books more as fashion items than reading material as vanity, but I don't mind if it is vanity. Because carrying books out of vanity might eventually lead to actually looking into them.

The physical experience of paper books?such as the feel of turning pages or the texture of paper?offers a process of reflection and imagination that digital content cannot replace. Even if it starts from vanity, I hope 'text hip' becomes a catalyst for spreading reading culture beyond a short-lived trend.

"Literary Writing Is Not Finding Myself but Breaking Myself"

When asked what writing and reading books are, some say it is a process of 'finding oneself.' I say the opposite. Literary writing and reading are experiences of breaking oneself. That is, becoming estranged from oneself. Our culture can be summarized as discovering the other within oneself and becoming the other. The experience of breaking what one believed to be oneself and the destruction of the thought 'I am this kind of person' is fascinating. In the world of algorithms, once you click on something of interest, related content keeps following.

This is somewhat like paying expensive money to travel abroad but continually seeking Korean restaurants. The expansion of self or the experience of breaking oneself is something algorithms can never do. Therefore, the core value art or literature gives us is the impact of breaking the system we believed to be ourselves and discovering newness through art. Thus, encountering the other or discovering the other within oneself is the essence of engaging with art or literature.

Kwangho Lee, literary critic and representative of Literature and Intellect. Photo by Younghan Heo

-What is the power and form of literature that can endure in the AI era?

▲I think it is unlikely literature will remain in its current form. Nevertheless, I do not think the literature we know will become extinct. For example, paper books probably will not disappear, and individual unique domains will not vanish entirely. However, the way books are produced and distributed will change significantly, and AI's role in the creation and editing process will rise to 80-90%.

However, humans have the greatest distinction: creativity that manifests because we have bodies. How can AI possess the subtle sensory thinking that comes from aging, fear of death, pain, and wounds, sweating and bleeding through the body, and awareness of death? The body is finite. People who know their body is finite and have fear of death.

"AI Cannot Have Fear of Aging, Pain, Wounds, and Death"

I believe death and literature are closely related. Literature is what people facing death create. So, creativity arising from humans having bodies and recognizing their finiteness and mortality will likely remain.

In the future, I expect educational methods and processes on how to create using AI will emerge. Even now, the importance of prompt engineering is widely discussed. It is not about talking to a person but conversing with AI's vast information. The ability to ask precise questions to fully utilize generative AI's information will become a crucial personal knowledge skill.

This will be part of creative ability. How to effectively use AI to extract information one does not have. Education and learning on how to activate AI 200% will become increasingly important. I think such methods will be introduced into literary education. Still, I hope there remains some educational domain for creativity achievable only by humans with bodies.

Professor Kim Dae-sik, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KAIST

Choreographer Kim Hye-yeon (CEO of Yeonist)