A Korean author has received a medal from the Czech Republic's Foreign Ministry for contributing to promoting the country in Korea.
Cho Seong-kwan, a writer and a journalist for the Chosun Weekly, has written a book, "Geniae of Prague" (2009) featuring six important Czech cultural icons -- composers Bedrich Smetana and Antonin Dvorak; filmmaker Milos Forman; writers Milan Kundera and Franz Kafka; and playwright and former president Vaclav Havel.
The medal was given at the opening of a Kafka Exhibition in Seoul, last Tuesday.
Jaroslav Olsa, the Czech ambassador to Korea and a literature lover, eulogized the writer.
Born to German-speaking Jewish parents, Kafka was born in Prague in 1883.
Writing was an important part of his life, but was always on the sidelines.
He worked as a clerk at an insurance company, writing in his spare time.
His works didn't gain much attention until his death in 1924. "The Trial" "Amerika" and "The Metamorphosis" are internationally popular works.
The ceremony had one special guest -- Arnost Lustic, a writer and Holocaust survivor who came to Korea to speak at the Seoul Literary Society.