Han Kang, this year's Nobel Prize laureate in literature, speaks during a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, Friday. Yonhap
By Park Han-sol
“Like everyone else that night (on Dec. 3), I was in a state of shock. While writing ‘Human Acts,’ I spent a lot of time researching the events leading up to the emergency martial law of 1979, but it felt like a bombshell to witness a similar situation unfold before my own eyes in 2024,” reflected Han Kang, this year’s Nobel Prize laureate in literature, addressing a room full of international journalists at the Swedish Academy in Stockholm, Friday.
The Korean writer’s appearance in Sweden for Nobel Week marked her first public press conference since her historic win on Oct. 10, which made her the first Asian woman to receive the distinguished literary honor.
Her remarks also came just three days after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law in her home country — an extraordinary crisis that heightened anticipation for her perspective and the broader message she would deliver to the world.
The difference between then and now was that this time, the people were allowed to witness everything in real time, she added.
“I saw it all — those trying to stop armored vehicles with nothing but their bodies, others holding back armed soldiers with their bare hands or standing their ground in front of an advancing army. And I saw some shouting farewells to retreating soldiers, almost as if they were addressing their own sons.”
To her, it was a moment of “heartfelt sincerity and courage.”
“It is my sincere hope that we do not return to the past, where control was imposed through force and coercion to silence voices,” she said.
Citizens and journalists gather in front of the National Assembly after President Yoon Suk Yeol announced his surprise declaration of martial law on Tuesday night. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Over her three-decade literary career, Han has earned acclaim for her unflinching narratives that probe the depths of human violence and its profound impact on identity — from the stark portrayal of state-led brutality during the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy movement, which protested the martial law declaration, in “Human Acts,” to the more daringly experimental exploration of gendered violence in “The Vegetarian.”
Her latest novel, “We Do Not Part,” revisits the 1948 Jeju April 3 Uprising, during which around 30,000 civilians — nearly 10 percent of the island’s population at the time — were killed in an anti-communist military purge.
In its announcement of her Nobel Prize, the Swedish Academy commended her lyrical mastery that “confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.”
The author emphasized her belief in the power of language to tackle both historical and personal truths.
“I believe that language, by its very nature, is inherently resistant to being forcibly suppressed," she said. "Even when efforts are made to silence it, the truth will always find a way to be spoken. I think this power of language will remain unshaken.”
Han Kang's appearance in Sweden for Nobel Week marks her first public press conference since her historic win on Oct. 10, which made her the first Asian woman to receive the distinguished literary honor. Yonhap
Her faith in language extends to her deep conviction in the necessity of literature in times of crisis and turmoil.
“Literature is an act of continually entering into the inner worlds of others, and in doing so, it allows one to delve into their own inner self. Through this repeated process, an inner strength is cultivated. In the face of unexpected situations, this strength helps us to think, judge and strive to make the best decisions. That’s why I believe literature is not something extra, but something absolutely essential for us.”
And she is ready to lift her pen and write again — without pressure.
Han Kang donates a small teacup, a longtime companion during her "intense writing sessions," to the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm, Friday. The gesture is part of a tradition in which Nobel laureates contribute a personal artifact to the museum. Yonhap
Following Friday’s press conference, Han will continue celebrating her Nobel laureate status throughout Nobel Week in Stockholm.
On Dec. 7, she is scheduled to give a livestreamed lecture at the Swedish Academy, and she will attend the official Nobel Prize award ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall on Dec. 10, the day Alfred Nobel passed away.
She is also set to take part in a recital and engage in a talk with translator and journalist Yukiko Duke at the Royal Dramatic Theatre on Dec. 12.
Beyond her official commitments, the writer shared with a smile that she hopes to explore more of the city, with plans to visit the National Library and the apartment of “my beloved Astrid Lindgren.”
English (United States) ·