World embraces Korean literature, with 3.58 mil. copies sold overseas over 5 years
A dedicated section for Han Kang, the recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, is displayed at a major bookstore in Stockholm in December 2024. Yonhap
Sales of Korean literature abroad reached approximately 3.58 million copies over the past five years, with author Han Kang's "We Do Not Part" emerging as the best-selling title.
According to the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea), an affiliate of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, about 3.58 million copies of Korean literary works supported through its translation and publication program were sold overseas between 2021 and 2025.
During the five-year period, 1,026 titles were translated and published in 40 languages. The cumulative sales figure marks an increase of about 900,000 copies from the 2.68 million copies reported in last year's five-year tally.
Annual overseas sales approached 1.2 million copies for the second consecutive year, reaching 1,197,557 copies last year and 1,197,329 copies in 2024.
LTI Korea said the figures demonstrate that the global popularity of Korean literature extends beyond the boost from Han's Nobel Prize in Literature and a handful of high-profile titles, showing instead that a broad readership has taken shape across multiple language markets.
Han's "We Do Not Part," a novel centered on the Jeju April 3 Uprising, was the top-selling work, with around 300,000 copies sold across 13 countries, including the United Kingdom and France.
Seven titles have established themselves as steady sellers by recording annual overseas sales of more than 4,000 copies for three consecutive years. They include the English edition of Han's "Greek Lessons," the Russian edition of Son Won-pyung's "The Fox Club: Spooky Mission Camp (Vol. 1)" and the Spanish edition of Kim Keum-suk's graphic novel "Grass."
Healing novels also continued to attract international readers. Hwang Bo-reum's "Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop" sold 88,000 copies overseas, while Kim Ho-yeon's "The Second Chance Convenience Store" sold 66,000 copies.
LTI Korea President Jeon Soo-yong said the strong performance shows that the overseas expansion of Korean literature is "not a temporary phenomenon but one built on a sustainable readership." "We will continue to strengthen our strategic support for translation and publishing so that a wider range of Korean literary works can consistently reach readers around the world," he said.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.