Nobel Prize laureate in Literature Han Kang declined to celebrate her victory: what happened

Han Kang. Stock photo: Roberto Ricciuti, Getty Images

This year’s winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, South Korean author Han Kang, has declined to hold a press conference. She cited the ongoing wars between Russia and Ukraine, as well as Israel and Palestine, as the reason for not celebrating her award.

Source: The Korea Times, citing a statement from the Nobel laureate’s father, Han Seung-won, during a press conference where Han Kang was absent.

Quote: “(Han Kang) told me, ‘With the war intensifying and people being carried out dead every day, how can we have a celebration or a press conference?’ She said she won’t hold a press conference,” the author’s father said.

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The man shared that on 10 October, following the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Literature, he spoke with his daughter and advised her to choose a publisher to hold a press conference in celebration of her award. 

Han Seung-won said his daughter initially agreed but ultimately changed her mind.

Quote: “Her perspective has shifted from being a writer living in Korea to a global (writer’s) consciousness. I, however, could not shake off the feeling of being the father of a prizewinner living in Korea, so I ended up arranging this press conference,” he said.

In addition, Han Kang declined to host a celebratory banquet for locals in honour of her literary achievement.

“She said, ‘Please don’t celebrate while witnessing these tragic events (referring to the two wars). The Swedish Academy didn’t give me this award for us to enjoy, but to stay more clear-headed’. After hearing that, I was deeply troubled,” the author’s father said.

Background:

• South Korean author Han Kang was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, as announced during the award ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, on 10 October 2024. 
• The Nobel Committee highlighted her “intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life”. 
• Previously, Han Kang gained international recognition for her 2015 novel The Vegetarian, for which she received the Booker Prize.

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