A Variety of Events Nationwide from the 12th to the 25th
Meet-the-Author Sessions, Readings, and Performances
Featuring Kim Hyesoon, Seong Haena, Hyun Ki-young, Yan Lianke, and More
Dialogues with Domestic and International Authors
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on September 9 that, together with the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, the Arts Council Korea, the National Museum of Korean Literature, and the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea, it will host the 2025 Korea Literature Festival from the 12th to the 25th of this month at Daehakro in Seoul and various locations nationwide.
2025 Korea Literature Festival Event Poster. Provided by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
The Korea Literature Festival, being held for the first time this year, was established to sustain the heightened domestic and international interest in Korean literature following author Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature win, and to promote the values of social solidarity and emotional healing that literature offers. This integrated event encompasses major domestic literary events such as the 14th Seoul International Writers’ Festival and the 10th anniversary of Literature Week, as well as the National Museum of Korean Literature’s special exhibition and the Literature Sharing project. Across multiple regions, leading Korean literary museums, bookstores, and resident writers at libraries will organize and operate a variety of programs.
Dialogue Between Hyun Ki-young and Yan Lianke... Writers from 8 Countries, 10 Authors Participating
The festival will open on the 12th at Ground Seoul in Insadong with a conversation between Hyun Ki-young, representing Korea, and Yan Lianke, representing China. Yan Lianke is an author renowned for his sharp social criticism and satire, having received the Lu Xun Literary Prize and the Franz Kafka Prize, and is often mentioned as a Nobel Prize in Literature candidate. Hyun Ki-young is known for deeply addressing the pain of modern Korean history, including the Jeju 4·3 Incident, through works such as "Sun-i Uncle."
Notably, this year's festival will feature 10 international authors from 8 countries, including Victoria Mas, Sarah Pinsker, Yan Lianke, and Jonas Hassen Khemiri from France, the United States, China, and Sweden. They will interact with Korean writers and meet readers. Suzy Lee, the first Korean recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award; French picture book author Adrien Parlange; Jonas Hassen Khemiri of Sweden, a leading figure in diaspora literature; Korean American Joohee Kim, winner of the Tolstoy Literary Prize; Seong Haena, whose "Honmono" topped the bestseller list for five consecutive weeks; and Yumi Huzuki from Japan, among others, will engage in discussions with domestic and international writers.
A New Interpretation of Literature Through Dialogues, Performances, and Experiences
On the 13th, at the Artist’s House in Daehakro, Park Chunhyo, author of the Tony Award-winning musical "Maybe Happy Ending," and poet Kim Hyun will hold a dialogue under the theme "An Artistic World More Painful Than Expected, As Happy As Imagined." On the 19th, at Daehakro Arts Theater Small Hall, poet Kim Hyesoon, winner of the 2024 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2025 German International Literature Prize, will present a complete reading performance of her new poetry collection "Synchronized Sea Anemone" together with poets Kim Sanghyuk and Shin Haewook.
In addition, there will be a variety of literary performances, including a stage adaptation of "On a Night Like This, In the Fields" accompanied by a conversation between the director and a poet; a play and a staged reading based on Baek Onyu’s novel "Yuwon"; and "Ki Hyungdo Play," an immersive reading performance that brings the poetry collection "Black Leaf in My Mouth" by Ki Hyungdo to life on stage. These events will allow audiences to enjoy literature in diverse formats such as readings and performances.
Detailed event schedules can be found on the official websites of the Seoul International Writers’ Festival and Literature Week 2025. Participation in each program is available through advance reservation.
Events at Over 60 Locations Including Literary Museums, Bookstores, and Libraries Nationwide
More than 60 literary museums, bookstores, and libraries across the country will further enrich the festival with a variety of events.
The National Museum of Korean Literature will hold a special exhibition commemorating the 300th anniversary of "The Cloud Dream of the Nine" at Tapgol Art Museum in Jongno until the 20th. Nine regional literary museums, including the Kim Yujeong Literature Village, Shin Dongyup Literature Museum, and Yosan Kim Jeonghan Literature Museum, will also present content reinterpreting the works of representative local authors in formats such as theater, webtoons, and media art. There will also be "book concerts" and literary tours planned and participated in by more than 30 resident writers nationwide and authors whose works were selected for the Literature Sharing project.
An official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated, "We hope this festival will provide an opportunity to share the joy of literature and foster communication across generations and regions," adding, "The Ministry will continue to expand support for creative activities and enjoyment, so that Korean literature can gain greater global recognition as a source of K-Culture."
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