[News Today] HAN KANG EFFECT IN LOCAL LITERATURE

[LEAD]
Last year, Writer Han Kang's Nobel Prize win sparked a national reading boom. The “Han Kang Effect” is still going strong this year. Efforts to spread reading culture and discover new writers are in full swing.

[REPORT]
Writer Han Kang receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature was one of the proudest moments for Koreans last year.

Mats Malm / Permanent Secretary, Swedish Academy (Oct. 2024)
For her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.

The feat drew scores of domestic and foreign visitors to historic sites related to the Gwangju pro-democracy movement, the city itself and Jeollanam-do Province.

In 74 days, some 15,000 people visited a book cafe in Gwangju themed after Han Kang's novel 'Human Acts.'

The reverberations of the renowned writer's accolade seem to continue in 2025 as well.

Buk-gu District of Gwangju, where Han spent her childhood, is set to establish the Mudeung Literary Award.

The goal is to unearth talent by presenting the award to local up-and-coming writers.

A relevant ordinance was devised two years ago but the move was suspended due to budget issues and was resumed again after Han received the Nobel Prize.

Chang Seo-jung / Gwangju Buk-gu Dist. Office
We decided to establish a literature award to find talented writers, provide support to local writers and contribute to the development of local literature.

Last year, a committee on promoting book reading in Gwangju was launched. This year it plans to create a book-reading trail and develop hands-on programs related to literature at a local library.