Park Han-sol reports on Korea's financial regulators, along with fintech and insurance. She previously wrote about the art world, from biennales and exhibitions to fairs and auctions, with a focus on Seoul and the figures shaping the scene. Before joining The Korea Times, she spent a year at ABC News' Seoul bureau, contributing to coverage of major Asia-Pacific events.
Actor Cha In-pyo honored with Hwang Sun-won Literature Prize
Actor Cha In-pyo / Courtesy of Jeonju International Film Festival
By Park Han-sol
Actor Cha In-pyo has been named the recipient of this year’s Hwang Sun-won Literature Prize, establishing his standing as an author.
According to the Hwang Sun-won Memorial Association, which organizes the annual contest, Cha’s novel “Mermaid Hunt” received the award in the emerging writers category. The prize, established in 2001, honors the legacy of literary icon Hwang Sun-won (1915-2000), renowned for his short story “Rain Shower,” also known as “Shower” or “Sonagi.”
“I published my first novel at age 42, and now, at 58, I’ve been honored with a rising writer’s award. It makes me think that life is like a full-length novel; you don’t know how it ends until you’ve read it through,” the actor reflected in an Instagram post Monday.
“I don’t take this award as praise for what I’ve done, but as encouragement to write even better from here on. I’ll keep going.”
Released in 2022, “Mermaid Hunt” delves into the raw desires of humanity through a fantastical tale centered on the pursuit of mermaid oil, said to grant a thousand years of life to those who consume it. Inspired by a Joseon-era legend, the story is a historical fantasy that spans a millennium, from the 8th-century Silla Kingdom to the early 20th-century Joseon Dynasty.
Cha made his literary debut with “Once We Look at the Same Star” in 2009.
His first novel revolves around a woman whose youth was violently upended when she was forced into sexual slavery as a “comfort woman” under the Japanese military during World War II.
Last year, the book was selected as required reading for Korean Studies courses at the University of Oxford, where Cha was also invited to speak at the inaugural Korean Literature Festival.
From left are winners of this year's Hwang Sun-won Literature Prize: novelist Joo Sue-ja, poet Kim Koo-seul and Cha In-pyo. Courtesy of the Hwang Sun-won Memorial Association
This year’s prize also recognized novelist Joo Sue-ja for “In Search of the Haeryebon Manuscript” and poet Kim Koo-seul for “Island of Shadows.”
The award ceremony will take place on Sept. 12 at Hwang Sun-won Sonagi Village in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province.