South Korean novelist Han Kang has made history by winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. It is just the second Nobel Prize given to a Korean in any category.

On October 10th, the Swedish Academy,* which selects the Nobel Prize laureates in literature, announced Han as this year’s recipient. In its announcement, the organization praised the 53-year-old author, calling her “an innovator in contemporary prose.”

Born in Gwangju in 1970, Han began her career in 1993 by publishing poems in a literary magazine, and later moved to short stories and novels. She received wide acclaim for her 2007 novel, “The Vegetarian.” It tells the story of a woman who refuses to eat meat and steadfastly rebels against social norms.

“The Vegetarian” was later translated into English and won the Man Booker International Prize,* a prestigious award hosted by the United Kingdom. Han is also renowned for her 2014 novel, “Human Acts,” in which she tackled the historical trauma of the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement.*

Han is the second Korean to receive the Nobel Prize, following the late Korean President Kim Dae-jung. Kim won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for his efforts to bring peace and reconciliation between the two Koreas.

Soon after the news of Han’s historical win broke, her novels quickly sold out at local bookstores as people rushed to purchase them. Meanwhile, global recognition for the author and interest in the translated editions of her books have significantly increased.

In addition, Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol congratulated Han for her Nobel Prize on social media. He called the win “a great achievement in the history of Korean literature.”

Han will join other Nobel laureates of 2024 to officially receive her prize at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, on December 10th. Along with a medal and a diploma, she will get a cash award of around 11 million Swedish krona, or 1.4 billion Korean won.

* Swedish Academy 스웨덴 학술원

* Man Booker International Prize 맨부커상 (영어로 번역된 최고의 문학작품에 수여되는 영국의 문학상)

* 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement 1980 광주민주화운동