In early December, Korean novelist Han Kang travelled to Stockholm, Sweden, to take part in the Nobel Prize award ceremony. There, she officially accepted the Nobel Prize in Literature.

The ceremony is held annually at Stockholm Concert Hall on the day of Alfred Nobel’s death on December 10th. The prestigious event invited a total of 11 Nobel laureates in five categories: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and economic science. As per tradition, the Nobel Peace Prize was presented separately in Oslo, Norway.

Dressed in black, Han and her fellow Nobel laureates entered the Stockholm Concert Hall while orchestral music played. Later, they each received a medal and diploma presented by Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf.

After the ceremony, a luxurious banquet dinner was held at Stockholm City Hall, with 1,200 officials and guests attending. Near the end of the banquet, all Nobel laureates went up to the stage to give their acceptance speech.

During her speech, Han described her personal connection to language, as well as how literature helps to affirm human existence.

“The work of reading and writing literature stands in opposition to all acts that destroy life,” she said.

In Korea, some people stayed up until early in the morning to watch the live broadcast of the Stockholm ceremony on the internet. There were also special events in early December to celebrate Han’s historic win.

For example, public libraries in Seoul offered a special pardon for overdue books. Some bookstores and cafés held readings from the pages of Han’s novels.