Korean behind Lao translation of Han Kang's 'Human Acts' explores shared war scars

The Lao edition of Han Kang’s "Human Acts" features 165 Bodhi tree leaves designed by Jeong Sang-hyun to symbolize life and honor victims of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. Korea Times file

When Korean author Han Kang won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2024, translator Jeong Sang-hyun was studying at the National University of Laos. While he celebrated the news, his fellow students were unfamiliar with the award.

That prompted the 53-year-old interpreter to translate and publish Han's novel “Human Acts” in Laos. The project marks the first time a Korean novel has been translated into Lao, aiming to connect the two nations through their shared history of civil conflict rather than through popular culture.

“Laos has often only encountered the glamorous image of Korea through popular culture,” Jeong said in a phone interview with the Hankook Ilbo on Wednesday. “I wanted to let them know that Korea also overcame a difficult past to build its current prosperity.”

Laos experienced a civil war in the 1960s and 1970s between U.S.-backed royalists and communist forces supported by North Vietnam and the Soviet Union. Jeong believed Han's novel, which questions how humanity survives mass violence, would resonate with Lao readers.

Interpreter and translator Jeong Sang-hyun, second from left, speaks with readers during a book festival at the National University of Laos. Courtesy of Jeong Sang-hyun

Although a Thai translation of the novel existed, Jeong decided against using it. He said that while the languages are similar, they are distinct, and relying on the Thai version would disregard Lao cultural pride.

“In Laos, if I use proper Lao rather than Thai while interpreting, people tell me, ‘You learned it well,’ which shows how much pride they take in their language,” he said. “I felt it would be disrespectful to tell them to read a Korean book in Thai.”

Author support, self-funded release

Securing the copyright presented a significant hurdle. The British agency managing Han's overseas rights initially did not respond to Jeong. He persisted by sending the agency photographs of the dilapidated facilities at the National University of Laos library. The images eventually reached Han, who personally intervened to help secure the translation rights.

Jeong paid for the translation and publication out of pocket, partnering with Lao publisher Dokked Publishing for proofreading. This self-funded project contrasts with Japan's state-sponsored cultural diplomacy, wherein the Japanese government fully funded the translation and distribution of 3,000 copies of Sayaka Murata's novel “Convenience Store Woman” in Laos.

“The translator of ‘Convenience Store Woman’ has been helping me, promoting their own book while also spreading the word about the publication of mine,” Jung said.

Korean novelist Han Kang delivers an acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize in Literature during a banquet at Stockholm City Hall in Sweden, Dec. 10, 2024. Yonhap

Shared history, future hope

Jeong printed 1,000 copies of “Human Acts.” He allocated 500 copies for commercial sale and donated the remaining 500 to local schools and regional communities.

The translation has already drawn interest. One Lao reader told Jeong that the novel's “brave children” inspired them to study Korean history.

Korean Ambassador to Laos Jung Young-soo praised the initiative.

“It holds deep meaning as the first Korean novel translated into Lao,” the ambassador said.

Jeong, who interpreted for the 2025 summit between President Lee Jae Myung and Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith, underlined the book's core message.

“Korea, like Laos, had political and economic hardships. Even so, it achieved democracy and developed economically," Jeong said. “I hope Laos also finds hope that they, too, can change through this book.”

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.