Han Kang, the first Korean winner of the Nobel Prize in literature /Courtesy of Munhakdongne

Korea often exists in the space between two worlds, seen through distant eyes. One world is polished, gleaming — a place where idols dance with precision and Gen Z kids from Indonesia to Italy look upon it with admiration through TikToks and Insta reels. Korea is draped in vibes, as though all of life here moves to the filtered choreography of a billion-dollar entertainment company.

But then there is another Korea. A shadow. A reflection where darkness conquers life. Born from the imaginations of storytellers, Korea is haunted by the monsters we see in "Squid Game," "Kingdom" and "Sweet Home." Creatures lurk in corners, and violence festers just beneath every surface. A dystopia, where survival comes at the cost of morality, and the line between life and death blurs. Yet, in truth, neither image holds the essence of the country.

Unspoken Monsters

The monsters in Han Kang's works are not born of fantasy. They do not hide in the shadows or emerge from the unknown. They are us. They are Korean history, the weight of what we have endured, and the silence the people carry. In her writing, Han Kang confronts these monsters — Korea’s past, its wounds, its people. She speaks the words we are told not to say, the things we are told should remain unsaid. The massacres. The death. And the blood. Han reminds us of them. She questions our silence.

In “Human Acts” she writes, “Why would you sing the national anthem for people who’d been killed by soldiers? Why........

© The Korea Times