South Koreans react with joy and amazement to writer Han Kang's Nobel Prize

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Koreans reacted with joy and amazement Thursday after learning about this homegrown writer Han Kang received the Nobel Prize for Literaturean unexpected moment that stoked national pride over the country's growing cultural influence.

Han, known for her experimental and often disturbing stories that explore human trauma and violence and capture the brutal moments of South Korea's modern history, is the country's first writer to win world literature's most prestigious prize.

Han's triumph adds to the growing global influence of South Korean culture, which in recent years has seen the successes of director Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning “Parasite,” the brutal Netflix survival drama “Squid Game” and K-pop groups like BTS and belonged to BLACKPINK.

“I am so surprised and so honored,” Han, 53, said in a telephone interview posted on the Nobel Prize’s X account.

As the news spread in South Korea, some online bookstores temporarily froze due to a sudden surge in traffic. South Korean social media was flooded with jubilant messages expressing admiration and pride. Some netizens found it significant that Han was the first Asian woman to win the prize, portraying it as a statement to the country's traditionally male-dominated literary scene.

“It’s always the women who do the big things,” wrote one Facebook user.

In South Korea's parliament, several government hearings were interrupted as lawmakers cheered and applauded Han's award.

During her visit to Laos for a meeting of Asian leaders, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a statement congratulating Han on her award, calling it a “great achievement in the history of Korean literature” and a “special moment for the nation”.

“They have transformed the painful wounds of our modern history into great literature,” Yoon wrote. “I send you my respect for highlighting the value of Korean literature.”

Han, the daughter of the well-known South Korean writer Han Seung-won, made her publishing debut as a poet in 1993. She won the 2016 International Booker Prize for the novel “The Vegetarian,” a story about a woman's decision to stop eating meat has devastating consequences and raises concerns among family members that she is mentally ill.

Another of Han's well-known novels is “Human Acts”, which is set in her hometown of Gwangju in 1980 and is about a boy who searches for the body of a friend who was killed during the violent suppression of a student protest. South Korea's former military government sent troops to Gwangju this year in a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters that left about 200 people dead and hundreds more injured.

Han's award caused excitement among South Korean writers and critics, who expressed hope in comments to local media that it would bring more global attention to South Korean literature. But it remains to be seen whether Han's stories will gain widespread popularity among casual readers around the world, said Brother Anthony of Taize, a British-born scholar and prolific translator of Korean literature.

“It's not always easy to read,” he said, describing that her novels are often complicated stories about miscommunications, misunderstandings, “unhappy people and troubled relationships and pain.”

If Han's works have anything in common with South Korea's other cultural products that have gained international recognition in recent years, it is that they often reflect the dark side of the country's society. Both “Parasite” and “Squid Game” provided biting commentary on the country's rising inequality and other problems that cause many young and poor people to describe their lives as a hellish nightmare.

South Korea has one of the widest gaps between rich and poor among developed economies and is grappling with deteriorating labor markets, rising household debt and a record-low birth rate as struggling couples postpone having children. The country is also grappling with the pain of its brutal transition from dictatorship to democracy.

“Korean society is rather dark and that is probably the aspect that touches it,” Brother Anthony said.

Jung Yoon-young, a 49-year-old Seoul resident, said Han's triumph was a refreshing moment for the country in depressing times.

“It is a miraculous event and truly a breath of fresh air,” she said. “I am grateful and proud.”