Lifestyle - The Korea Times

K-LIT REVIEW 'Two Women Living Together' redraws boundaries of family

Let’s begin with the clarifications. No, the two women are not in a romantic relationship. No, they are not renting an apartment together. They pooled their resources and jointly bought a place. In other words, their living arrangement is not a temporary solution but a stable, long-term commitment. These two women have, in defiance of societal and institutional norms, chosen to live together not just as roommates or friends, but as one unit — a family. Meet Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo, authors of the memoir “Two Women Living Together,” recently translated into English by Gene Png. Single, in their 40s and “mothers” to four cats, they had both lived alone for years. When they bonded over shared interests, trips to the movies and boozy late-night chats, both were sick of doing everything by themselves and craving companionship. They also had one other thing in common: a firm conviction that marriage was not for them. They enjoyed singlehood too much to force themselves into glass slippers just as a cure for loneliness. Realizing that they could be the solution to each other’s

Apr 14, 2026By Faye Leung

[K-LIT REVIEW] 'Two Women Living Together' redraws boundaries of family

Fairy tale writer Lee Geum-yi adds to Korea's growing literary presence as Andersen Award finalist

Korean children’s and young adult fiction writer Lee Geum-yi has fallen just short of winning the Hans Christian Andersen Award in the writing category, often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of children’s literature.” Lee, who was named as a finalist for the 2026 prize after also making the shortlist in 2024, left this year’s competition as a two-time finalist, cementing a milestone for Korean children’s and young adult writing on the international stage. The award was announced Monday during the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy. The biennial prize, given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), honors one author and one illustrator whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children’s literature worldwide. Lee was one of six finalists in the writing category, along with Ahmad Akbarpour of Iran, Timothee de Fombelle of France, Pam Munoz Ryan of the United States and Michael Rosen of the United Kingdom, though the top prize ultimately went to Maria Jose Ferrada of Chile. Since winning the Saebut Literary Award in 1984 for her debut sh

Apr 13, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Fairy tale writer Lee Geum-yi adds to Korea's growing literary presence as Andersen Award finalist

Norwegian mother writes book to answer son’s questions about his adoption from Korea

A couple uneasily entered a pediatrics ward in Bergen, Norway, holding their young son in December 1998. At the reception desk, they write down the boy’s name: Anders Hyun Molvik Botnmark. The same child, now a young man, rummaged through an old blue travel bag when he was 22 and asked, “Is this really it, Mom?” It was that moment when Kristine Molvik Botnmark, Anders’ stepmother and a sociologist, decided to write “Adopsjonsoppgjøret” (“To Your Korean Mother” in Korean). She adopted her son knowing that one day he would grow curious about his roots, but all she would be able to give him was a photograph of himself as a baby and a handful of documents stating that no information was available about his biological parents. She trusted the words of the adoption agency. However, there were records detailing how Anders was left with a foster family, meaning the Korean agency knew who his biological parents were. To resolve that contradiction, the author delved deeply into international adoption as an industry. Family registries were altered with the stroke of a pen to speed u

Apr 11, 2026By Hankookilbo

Norwegian mother writes book to answer son’s questions about his adoption from Korea

K-LIT REVIEW 'Light and Thread' reveals Han Kang's hidden facets

When I heard that Nobel laureate Han Kang had put out a new book and that it was her first translated nonfiction work, I didn’t know what to expect. “Essays” was the vague idea I’d gleaned from social media, but the reality of “Light and Thread” (translated into English by Maya West, E. Yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris) turned out to be so much more. For anyone who has read Han or plans to read her in the future, this book is an unmissable companion, containing insights to her writing that only she can tell. Two years ago, the Swedish Academy awarded Han with the Nobel Prize in literature, lauding her “intense poetic prose.” The intensity is dialed back in this latest release, but Han’s signature prose is as feather-light and gentle as the name “Light and Thread” suggests. The book is divided into three sections of essays, poems and other writing that paint a holistic picture of Han: first as a novelist, then as a poet and finally as a person. “Enigmatic” is a word often used to describe Han Kang’s work. Those who have read even a single paragraph of her novel

Apr 9, 2026By Faye Leung

[K-LIT REVIEW] 'Light and Thread' reveals Han Kang's hidden facets

Austrian children’s author Heinz Janisch to headline Arts Council Korea event

The Arts Council Korea (ARKO) will present “A Conversation with the Author” featuring Austrian children’s author Heinz Janisch, the winner of the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award, as part of its 2026 Literature Residency Support Program. Janisch, a leading figure in Austrian children’s literature, is known for his poetic and philosophical style that resonates with both young readers and adults. His accolades include the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Christine Nostlinger Prize in 2024, the German Academy for Children’s and Young Adult Literature Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, and the BolognaRagazzi Award in 2006. His most recent publication in Korean, The Last Gift of Andersen (2026), explores the life and literary legacy of Hans Christian Andersen. During his approximately one-month stay in Korea, Janisch will continue his writing on Nami Island and in Seoul. He is also scheduled to participate in meetings and discussions with Korean children’s authors. While in residence, he plans to explore traditional Korean folktales as inspiration for new creative work. Tw

Apr 8, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan

Austrian children’s author Heinz Janisch to headline Arts Council Korea event

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

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. Although a Thai translation of the novel

Apr 6, 2026By Hankookilbo

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

Han Kang wins US National Book Critics Circle Award for 'We Do Not Part'

Nobel Prize-winning author Han Kang’s novel “We Do Not Part” won the U.S. National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Award on Thursday (local time), one of the most prestigious literary honors in the United States. The NBCC announced that Han received the award in the fiction category. The novel, translated by E. Yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris, was published in the United States last year. Speaking about the winning work, the NBCC said the novel is “a work of blinding melancholy, bleak weather and murmuring syntax. It is a subtly rendered sketch of trauma in the wake of the Jeju Massacre and a rumination on creation and truth amidst loss. This artful novel lingers like an atmospheric and arresting dream.” The award marks another honor for the Korean author following her Nobel Prize win in 2024. Set against the backdrop of one of the darkest chapters in modern Korean history, “We Do Not Part” centers on the 1948 Jeju April 3 Uprising, a protest against U.S. military-led rule that the then-government falsely labeled a communist revolt, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of

Mar 27, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Han Kang wins US National Book Critics Circle Award for 'We Do Not Part'

DMZ World Literature Festa to discuss peace with Nobel winner Alexievich

Against the backdrop of barbed wire and guard posts of the inter-Korean border, writers from around the world, including Nobel Prize-winning Belarusian author Svetlana Alexievich, will gather to ask what literature can do in an age of war, division and democratic backsliding this weekend. Titled “Out of the Land of Silence with the Language of Life,” the event will run from Friday to Sunday at Camp Greaves inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Paju’s Book City, featuring 150 authors, including Alexievich, Korean literary heavyweight Hwang Sok-yong and writers from conflict zones and migrant communities around the world. Co-hosted by Gyeonggi Province, the Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation and the Writers Association of Korea, the three-day event and its companion book fair “Between Pages” aim to spotlight literature’s role in promoting peace, coexistence and human dignity. On Friday, Alexievich, best known in Korea for “The Unwomanly Face of War,” will deliver a keynote speech on the 2020 Belarus protests and speech as resistance under authoritarian rule. Hwang, who recently

Mar 26, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

DMZ World Literature Festa to discuss peace with Nobel winner Alexievich

French author Sylvain Tesson says AI risks turning humans into tools

At a time when artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining human experience, French writer and traveler Sylvain Tesson argues that the real challenge is not technological progress, but preserving the balance between culture and humanity’s natural instincts. A recipient of three of France’s four major literary honors — the Prix Goncourt (2009), Prix Médicis (2011) and Prix Renaudot (2019) — Tesson outlined his philosophy of travel and writing and reflected on the evolving relationship between humanity and the natural world at a press conference at the French Embassy in Seoul, Wednesday. Born in 1972 and trained in geography, Tesson began undertaking extreme journeys and expeditions at an early age, publishing his first book in his 20s. He gained recognition for travels in harsh natural environments, including crossing the Alps on skis and for writing grounded in those experiences. His work has long focused on reconciling the dual poles of the human condition — civilization and nature. Reflecting on his lifelong devotion to travel and literature, the author described travel as t

Mar 19, 2026By Anna J. Park

French author Sylvain Tesson says AI risks turning humans into tools

Webtoon Entertainment eyes sustainable growth through creator-centric 'flywheel' strategy

Naver Webtoon, the Korean subsidiary of the online content powerhouse Webtoon Entertainment, plans to strengthen its platform growth this year by expanding its creator-led ecosystem and advancing artificial intelligence technologies to connect diverse works with global readers, Webtoon Entertainment President Kim Yong-soo said Tuesday. In his first official public appearance since taking office this month, Kim said that the platform will prioritize essential growth drivers such as creator support, the discovery of new talent and technical sophistication while pursuing visible results. “A healthy creative ecosystem is a fundamental element necessary for the long-term growth of the company,” Kim said at a press conference in Seoul. “We will continue to invest in the creative ecosystem to ensure the sustainable growth of our business.” From 2021 to 2025, Webtoon Entertainment distributed a total of 4.15 trillion won ($2.78 billion) to creators, the company said. To maintain this momentum, the company revealed plans to invest more than 70 billion won this year alone into discovering

Mar 17, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul

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