Han Kang declines press conference, refuses to celebrate award while people die in wars
People line up in front of an independent bookstore in Jongno District, Seoul, run by novelist Han Kang, waiting for it to open, Friday.
By KTimes
Han Kang, the first Korean to win the Nobel Prize in literature, has declined to hold a press conference, citing the global tragedies of the Ukraine-Russia war and the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Her father, the renowned novelist Han Seung-won, 85, conveyed her message during a press conference at the Han Seung-won Literary School in Jangheung, South Jeolla Province.
"(Han Kang) told me, 'With the war intensifying and people being carried out dead every day, how can we have a celebration or a press conference?' She said she won’t hold a press conference," he said.
After the Nobel Prize in literature was announced on Thursday evening, Han Seung-won spoke with his daughter and advised her to select a publishing house to hold a press conference.
Initially, she agreed, saying she would "give it a try," but changed her mind overnight.
"Her perspective has shifted from being a writer living in Korea to a global (writer's) consciousness. I, however, could not shake off the feeling of being the father of a prizewinner living in Korea, so I ended up arranging this press conference," he said.
Han Kang also discouraged her father from holding a celebratory banquet at the literary school.
Her father said, "I was planning to throw a party here for the local people, but my daughter told me not to do it. She said, 'Please don't celebrate while witnessing these tragic events (referring to the two wars). The Swedish Academy didn’t give me this award for us to enjoy, but to stay more clear-headed.' After hearing that, I was deeply troubled."
Novelist Han Seung-won, father of Han Kang, meets with reporters in Anyang-myeon, Jangheung County, South Jeolla Province, to share his daughter’s reaction to winning the Nobel Prize in literature, Friday. Yonhap
After receiving news of her award in a phone call with the Nobel committee on Thursday, Han Kang expressed that she was "very surprised and honored," but has not made any further statements.
Multiple publishing houses, including Changbi Publishers, which published her notable novels "Human Acts" (2014) and "The Vegetarian" (2007), and Munhakdongne Publishing, which published her poetry collection and novel "The Wind Is Blowing" (2010), had suggested holding a press conference, but as of Friday afternoon, she had not responded.
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.