The Daesan Foundation is accepting applications for translation of Korean literary works. Applicants can choose a Daesan Literary Award prize-winning work that has not been translated into the target language, or others that the translator wishes to work on. The foundation funded translations of 13 Korean works last year. This year, up to 15 million won ($12,400) will be given for a single tran...

Meanwhile, Lee’s work has also been chosen for the final shortlist of the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Following her first in 2016, this is the Korean illustrator’s second nomination as a finalist for the prestigious award. She remains the only Korean finalist for the award since its establishment in 1956. The winner will be announced during the Bologna Children’s Book Fair period, following th...

Oh Jung-hee is renowned for her terse, intense stories featuring women in deeply dysfunctional situations. In her 1983 “Wayfarer,” Hye-ja is a woman who is recently discharged from a mental hospital for a fatal act of self-defense. Though she has been betrayed and abandoned by her family, her social circle, and the legal system, she persists in seeking spiritual and financial rebirth. Unearthing ...

Two South Korean children's books have won prizes at this year's Bologna Ragazzi Awards, one of the world's largest honors for kids' books and illustrations. "Summer," written and drawn by Suzy Lee, was listed as one of the three Special Mention works in the Fiction category, the organizers of the awards said Wednesday (Korean time) on its website. In the Non-Fiction section, "Father's big hand...

Songpa Book Museum, situated in eastern Seoul, is an establishment dedicated to reading. The museum, which opened in 2019, is the first public book museum in Korea. At the museum, visitors can learn more about the practice of reading through various exhibitions. Some exhibitions explain how Korean ancestors read books during the Joseon era (1392-1910) or during the Japanese occupation (1910-194...

“As more television dramas become available in various local and global streaming platforms, the number of new drama fans continues to increase, leading to the rise in demand of popular series-related contents, including the script,” a Yes24 official said in a press release on Wednesday. “With more drama fans showing their love and support by purchasing the scripts, reading the original script i...

The work sold some 300,000 copies in 10 different languages over five years

'Korean culture is both diverse and dynamic, placing importance on family-oriented mindsets such as respect for the elderly, different honorifics per situation, and subtle social cues.'

LTI Korea added that increased interest in Korean literature is due to Hallyu’s ever-growing global influence as well as quality translations. These changes are partially due to several Korean writers like Yun Ko-eun and Ma Yeong-shin winning international awards, LTI Korea said. In July, Yun’s novel “The Disaster Tourist” became the first in Korea to win in the Crime Fiction in Translation Dag...

A team behind the translation of “Yi Sang: Selected Works” received a literary translation award from the US-based Modern Literature Association, the Literature Translation Institute of Korea said Monday. This is the first time the award has been given for a work of Korean literature, according to LTI Korea, which sponsored the book‘s translation and publication. Jack Jung, a visiting assistant...

Park In-won among 13 translators recognized for excellence in translating Korean literature

With an aim to gather Asian literary writers to discuss current and future agendas, the 2021 Asia Literature Forum is set to kick off Wednesday at the Asia Culture Center in Gwangju. Under the theme “Reading the lives and wounds in Asia,” the six-hour event will be held both at the location and through the ACC’s YouTube channel. Twelve writers from five countries will participate in the forum, ...

The Daesan Foundation announced the four winners of the 29th annual Daesan Literary Awards on Wednesday. The organization founded by Kyobo Life Insurance awards winners in four categories, recognizing the best poetry, novel, drama or literature review and translated work. The award for best translated work is given to English, French, German and Spain translations, one for each year in sequentia...

Exhibition shows 78 Korean books to share with Japan, some depicting current social issues Koreans are faced with

Author Kim Hyo-eun, winner of the 2021 World Illustration Awards’ Professional Children’s Publishing category, talks about discovering the extraordinary in the most ordinary scenes