Photo : Nobel Prize
Anchor: South Korean author Han Kang has won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature. The Swedish Academy made the announcement Thursday, and Han became the second South Korean ever to win a Nobel Prize and the first to attain the honor in literature.
Kim Bum-soo has more.
Report: South Korean writer Han Kang was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature for her intense poetic prose.
[Sound bite: Mats Malm – Permanent Secretary, the Swedish Academy]
“The Nobel Prize in literature for 2024 is awarded to South Korean author Han Kang for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.”
The Swedish Academy announced the news Thursday.
Han is now the first Asian woman and the first South Korean writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The 53-year-old author published her first book in 1995, a short story collection titled “Love of Yeosu.”
In 2016, she won the International Booker Prize for her 2007 novel “The Vegetarian,” which helped her work reach a wider readership throughout the world.
Nobel Committee Chairman Anders Olsson:
[Sound bite: Anders Olsson – Nobel Committee chairman]
“In her oeuvre, Han Kang, as expressed in the academy citation, confronts historical traumas and in each of her works exposes the fragility of human life. She has a unique awareness of the connections between body and soul, the living and the dead, and in a poetic and experimental style, has become an innovator in contemporary prose.”
While the lyrical writing style that has won her so much acclaim is present throughout her work, “Human Acts,” published in 2017, also drew attention for its remarkable treatment of the 1980 Gwangju massacre and its aftermath.
[Sound bite: Author Han Kang (English)]
“I’m so surprised, and I’m absolutely honored.”
In a telephone interview with the Swedish Academy, Han said all writers had been a source of inspiration to her.
[Sound bite: Author Han Kang (English)]
“I grew up with Korean literature, which I feel very close to. So I hope this news is nice for Korean literature readers and my friends, writers and …”
Han said she will celebrate quietly by having tea with her son Thursday night.
The 2024 Nobel prizes will be presented to the new laureates at ceremonies in Stockholm, Sweden, in December.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.