For over half a century, The Korea Times has nurtured aspiring translators through its Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards, celebrating the efforts of translators who connect Korean literature with global audiences. Last week's 55th award ceremony was made even more significant by a historic achievement in October — Han Kang became the first Korean writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature, a recognition that elevates not only her work but also the universal appeal of Korean storytelling.

The Swedish Academy honored Han "for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life." Her works, such as "Human Acts," which delves into the Gwangju Democratic Movement of May 1980, underscore this universality. While rooted in a specific moment in Korea's march toward democracy, the book's themes of resistance, suffering and human dignity have found global relevance, with readers connecting Gwangju's tragedy to places like Gaza and beyond.

Deborah Smith, who translated Han's works into English and shared the 2016 Man Booker........

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