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Experts say Korean literature still struggles globally despite Nobel win
Professor Kwon Young-min of Seoul National University speaks during the 2025 Korea Global Literature Forum, hosted by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, at Yonsei University in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Literature Translation Institute of Korea
By Kim Se-jeong
To many Koreans, writer Han Kang’s Nobel Prize win last year was more than a personal triumph for the author. It was a long-overdue international recognition of the brilliance of Korean literature.
But on Thursday, professor Kwon Young-min of Seoul National University, who spent five decades promoting Korean literature abroad, offered a sobering reality check: Despite the prestige of the Nobel Prize, Korean literature remains on the global periphery.
“It cannot be said that, with Han Kang’s win of the Nobel Prize, Korean literature has instantly risen to the highest level in the world,” Kwon said during his keynote speech at the 2025 Korea Global Literature Forum organized by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) in Seoul.
“Korean literature remains on the margins of global literary discourse, with international readers still lacking a deep understanding of its essence.”
Titled “Strategies for Fostering the Global Expansion of Korean Literature,” the forum was attended by almost 100 scholars of Korean literature and Korean studies, as well as literary translators.
To raise Korean literature’s global standing, Kwon emphasized the urgent need to improve the quality of literary translation.
“The most crucial factor in the overseas success of Korean literature lies in the quality of translation,” Kwon said. “However, there are not enough translators with the literary talent and Korean proficiency required to translate Korean literary works.”
To address this gap, LTI Korea is currently working to establish a graduate school dedicated to training literary translators.
Susan Hwang, a professor of East Asian languages and cultural studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, echoed Kwon’s emphasis on translation.
“Translation must reproduce in the target language, to be sure, but it must go beyond reproduction as well; it must open up new avenues of interpretation and discursivity that goes beyond rendering Korea and Korean literature visible,” Hwang said.
Kwon also stressed the need to support academic research and education on Korean literature overseas to create a stronger foundation for its global reach.
“The aspect of research and education on Korean literature cannot be overlooked. The education of Korean literature at various universities overseas is the most reliable way to cultivate a sophisticated readership for Korean literature.”
Susan Hwang, center, professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, speaks during the first session of the 2025 Korea Global Literature Forum, hosted by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, at Yonsei University in Seoul, Thursday. From left are professors Antonio J. Domenech from the University of Malaga in Spain, Hwang and Noma Hideki, who used to teach at the Graduate School of Tokyo's University of Foreign Studies. Korea Times photo by Kim Se-jeong
He admitted that education and research on Korean literature remains limited and elementary in scope.
“It is rare to find institutions that have independently established and run a dedicated Korean studies department in their undergraduate programs. Without properly nurturing experts in Korean literature, it is impossible to discuss the globalization of Korean literature. To promote Korea and elevate the level of research on Korean literature, it is crucial to cultivate and support experts in the field,” Kwon said.
Language education plays a crucial role as well.
“The globalization of Korean literature is closely intertwined with the worldwide spread of the Korean language,” he said, praising the government’s continued efforts to grow the King Sejong Institute network, which provides Korean language education abroad.
Earlier this week, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the opening of 11 additional institutes in nine countries, bringing the global total to 252.