[Monthly hot topic] The first Nobel Literature Prize winner from South Korea, Han kang

The first Nobel Literature Prize winner from South Korea and the first Asian woman to receive the award, Han Kang

Han Kang is the first Nobel Literature Prize winner from South Korea and the first Asian female to receive this honor. She is also South Korea's second Nobel Prize winner and the first Asian to win the Booker Prize. As a result of these accomplishments, the number of academic papers related to Han Kang's novels has significantly increased since 2017. Han Kang's novel The Vegetarian was translated into English and gained recognition in the English-speaking world, leading to heightened academic interest in what is often referred to as "Han Kang's literature." Notably, Han Kang won the International Man Booker Prize in 2016 for The Vegetarian, which was recognized as the best English novel of the year.

Let's look at the international reaction to the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature through sentiment analysis. Overall, positive reactions dominate. Both English-speaking countries and China showed many reactions that focused on the author Han Kang herself. Expectations for high-quality works of Korean literature are growing in the English-speaking world, and considerable attention is paid to the modern history of Korea, which is the background of her novels.

Additionally, the 2019 song by South Korean group AKMU (Akdong Musician), "How Can I Love the Heartbreak, You're the One I Love," is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. It has gained attention due to a story about Han Kang, the first South Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, who reportedly shed tears while listening to this song on the radio in a taxi.

As a result, AKMU's "How Can I Love the Heartbreak, You're the One I Love" began climbing the daily charts again starting from the 10th, following the news of Han Kang’s Nobel Literature Prize win. Han Kang, the first Korean to make history by winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, continues to attract great attention for her future endeavors.