The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Thursday, October 10, 2024, that the 53-year-old South Korean author Han Kang has won the Nobel Prize in Literature “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.”

The Swedish Academy highlighted that “Han Kang’s work is marked by a dual exploration of suffering, blending mental and physical anguish, deeply connected to Eastern philosophy.” 

Anders Olsson, Chairman of the Swedish Academy’s Nobel Committee, said that the South Korean author, born on November 27, 1970, in Gwangju, possesses “a rare sensitivity to the interplay between body and soul, and between the living and the dead. Through her poetic and experimental approach, she emerges as a trailblazer in contemporary prose.” He praised her “physical empathy for the vulnerable, often female lives” of her characters. 

Seoul-based Han Kang gained international acclaim with her 2007 novel “The Vegetarian”, which won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize. The novel, divided into three parts, portrays the devastating repercussions of the protagonist Yeong- Hye’s decision to stop eating meat, leading to her harsh rejection by those around her.

The Vegetarian, originally published in Korean in 2007, explores the story of a woman named Yeong-hye, who decides to stop eating meat, leading to severe consequences for her relationships and mental health. The novel’s themes of control, rebellion, and the human body, along with its poetic prose, helped it gain international acclaim.

Han Kang has also dedicated herself to art and music, influences that resonate throughout her literary works. Han is the first South Korean writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, following in the footsteps of former President Kim Dae-jung, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for his “efforts for peace and reconciliation with North Korea.” The Nobel Prize in Literature comes with a cash prize of 11 million Swedish crowns ($1.1 million).