A man browsing works by Han Kang, who became the first Korean and first female Asian Nobel Literature Prize laureate. (Photo courtesy of Yonhap News)

The announcement of Han Kang’s Nobel Prize in Literature on October 10 was a huge milestone for Korean literature, boosting its international standing considerably. The main factors behind this remarkable achievement were Han’s creative genius, K-literature’s strong foundation, exceptional translation work and sustained support from public and private institutions.

This Nobel Prize win has triggered unprecedented excitement. Over 1 million copies of Han’s books were sold within just six days of the Nobel announcement – a rare achievement in publishing history. The phenomenon not only gained the notice of the Korean media but also attracted international attention, with many predicting that the award will propel K-literature from the margins to the center of world literature.

What sets K-literature apart is its authors’ ability to explore universal emotions while maintaining a distinct historical perspective and lyrical quality. Another strength is the deep roots of Korea’s literary tradition – classical forms have remained in use while new territory has been opened up through creative engagement with Western literature, from the modern era onward. Many critics note that Han’s Nobel victory reflects how Korean literature aligns with issues currently being explored in world literature, for example, gender, history and diaspora.

Han Kang's works Human Acts, I Put the Evening in the Drawer, The White Book and Greek Lessons

Thanks to their inherent strengths, Korean authors have received numerous international literary awards since the 2010s. The breakthrough moment was when Han’s The Vegetarian won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016. This helped Korean literature expand its global presence and showed how important English translations are for reaching international audiences.

Since then, Korean authors have consistently garnered international recognition. More than 40 years into her career, poet Kim Hyesoon won Canada’s Griffin Poetry Prize in 2019 for Autobiography of Death, earned recognition from the Royal Society of Literature in 2022 and became the first Korean recipient of the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2024 for Poetry for Phantom Pain Wings. Novelist Hwang Sok-yong won the Émile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature in 2018 with At Dusk and was longlisted for the 2019 International Booker Prize. More recently, Hwang was shortlisted for the latter for Three Generations of Railworkers.

Bora Chung’s Cursed Bunny, a standout of Korean literature in 2022, landed on the International Booker Prize shortlist. The collection, which explores patriarchal oppression through supernatural narratives, has secured multiple international publishing deals. Similarly, Cheon Myeong-kwan’s powerful novel Whale earned a spot on the 2023 Booker Prize shortlist.

Korean literature is gaining attention both domestically and internationally. Pictured are Bora Chung's Cursed Bunny, Kim Hyesoon's Phantom Pain Wings, Hwang Sok-yong's Three Generations of Railway Workers, and Sang Young Park's Love in the Big City.

Korea’s literary success extends beyond traditional literary genres. In children’s literature, Baek Heena won the 2020 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Cloud Bread, while in 2022, Suzy Lee became the first Korean recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Considered the Nobel Prize of children’s literature, the award was given to Lee in recognition of such works as Summer. In science fiction, authors like Cheon Seonran (A Thousand Blues) and Kim Choyeop (Greenhouse at the End of the Earth) have secured contracts with major international publishers for English translations.

This literary renaissance shows how Hallyu, the Korean Wave that began in the 2000s, continues to expand, now encompassing film, television, music and literature. As K-literature continues to fuel the global K-content phenomenon, many argue that rather than resting on the laurels of the Nobel Prize, the focus should be on sustaining the momentum through continued creative work, critical discourse, translation initiatives and international outreach. This will help create a virtuous cycle that advances K-content, specifically Korean literature, to new heights.