
2025 LTI Korea Award application open to Korean literature, film, webtoon translators
The Literature Translation Institute of Korea is calling for submissions to the 2025 LTI Korea Award for Aspiring Translators, aimed at discovering emerging talent in translating Korean literary and cultural content.
This year's award will be held across two categories -- literature and film/webtoon.
The literature category is open to translations in nine languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Indonesian. The film category covers four languages -- English, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese -- while the webtoon category includes English, French, Spanish and Japanese.
Applicants are required to translate a designated work in their chosen category. For literature, one of the three short stories: Kim Ki-tae's 'The Internationale for Two,' Seo Jang-won's 'Little Pride' or Seong Hae-na's 'Honmono;' for the film, either director Namkoong Sun's 'Time to be Strong' or Park Yun-jin's 'People in Elancia;' for webtoons, Susabanjang's 'To Die and Go to Heaven' or Goldkiwibird's 'The Blue-eyed Strategist.'
The competition is open to everyone who has not received official translation support and has no prior experience publishing Korean literary translations in the target language. For films and webtoons, applicants must have no more than one officially screened, submitted or released work.
Winners in each language category will receive 5 million won ($3,400), with additional support for travel expenses for those residing abroad to attend the awards ceremony at the end of the year.
Applications will be accepted June 1 through July 31.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Korea Herald
12 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Korea embraces beauty of everyday with monthlong craft exhibitions
Craft exhibitions on hanji and hanbok await visitors this month South Korea is turning up the charm this month with a series of craft exhibitions that celebrate the artistry found in everyday objects. The Korea Craft and Design Foundation is presenting "Hanji Objects: Embracing Wisdom" at Hanji House in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, through June 22. The exhibition spotlights "hanji," traditional Korean paper made from mulberry bark, and its evolving role over the centuries. Once primarily used for writing and books, hanji has long been repurposed into durable, lightweight and humidity-resistant household items. Artifacts on loan from the Hanji Art and Culture Foundation in Wonju, Gangwon Province, and the Goesan Hanji Experience Museum in North Chungcheong Province, illustrate the craftsmanship and ancestral wisdom embedded in these handmade pieces. The exhibition is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and admission is free. From June 13 to 15, the KCDF will also host a three-day hanbok fair at AK& Sejong. The 2025 Hanbok Expo will feature eight hanbok brands — Guiroe, Ccomaque by Dolsilnai, Daraewon Hanbok, Sun Daum, Somock Hanbok, Somikyung, Ondata Parang, and Flora Dress and Hanbok — offering visitors a chance to try on traditional attire and explore the synergy between Hangeul and hanbok. Admission is 5,000 won, with more details available on KCDF's official website. Later that month, jeweler and maker Kim Yoo-jung will unveil her second solo exhibition in five years, "Refuse to Disappear," at Yeol Bukchonga in Jongno-gu, June 17-23. Her contemporary jewelry pieces reflect on the presence of everyday objects and challenge viewers to rethink consumption and value in a fast-paced society. In Gyeonggi Province, the Yangju City Council gallery is showcasing 'The Phrase: Perspectives on Space' through June 27, featuring artists Won Jo-hyun, Lee Se-rim, Lee Eun-kyoung and Chung Dong-gyun. The exhibition draws inspiration from musical phrasing — the shaping of a passage — using visual art to express how individual works can resonate both independently and as a cohesive whole within a shared space. Admission is free.


Korea Herald
13 hours ago
- Korea Herald
The Royal Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet head to Seoul for July galas
Two of Europe's most storied ballet companies — The Royal Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet — are set to take to the stage in Seoul next month, offering local audiences a rare opportunity to witness their grandeur, tradition and artistic evolution through back-to-back galas. From July 4 to 6, The Royal Ballet returns to Korea for the first time in two decades, performing "The First Gala in Seoul" at the LG Arts Center in Magok-dong, western Seoul. The company's much-anticipated visit features eight principal dancers, including Benois de la Danse-winning ballerina Natalia Osipova as well as Korean first soloists Choe Yu-hui and Jun Joon-hyuk. From July 30 to Aug. 1, the Paris Opera Ballet will present "Ballet Gala of Etoiles in Paris" at the Seoul Arts Center. Leading the Parisian company is Park Sae-eun, the company's first Asian etoile and Benois de la Danse-winning ballerina, returning to her home country alongside a cast of stars. This marks the POB's second gala appearance in Korea in collaboration with the Seoul Arts Center, following performances in 2024. Notably, Park herself was directly involved in curating the program. Both companies will showcase a dynamic range of works — from signature pas de deux, or duets, from the classical canon to modern masterpieces — highlighting their artistic versatility. The Royal Ballet's program includes excerpts from "Don Quixote," "Giselle," Frederick Ashton's "Swan Lake" and Kenneth MacMillan's drama ballets "Romeo and Juliet" and "Manon." The Paris Opera Ballet will divide its repertoire into two alternating programs over the three-day run. Classical highlights include scenes from "The Sleeping Beauty," "Sylvia" and "Paquita." Both companies also lean into contemporary works to express their modern identities. The Royal Ballet will bring Christopher Wheeldon's poetic "After the Rain." The Paris Opera Ballet counters with George Balanchine's "Sonatine" set to the music of Maurice Ravel, Jerome Robbins' "In the Night" and Maurice Bejart's evocative "Songs of a Wayfarer." In an overlap, both galas include McGregor's kinetic "Chroma," originally choreographed for the Royal Ballet in 2006. Seoul audiences will be treated to a pas de trois, or trio, by The Royal Ballet on July 5 and 6 and a pas de deux by the Paris Opera Ballet on Aug. 1. Lausanne winner Park Youn-jae in Seongnam Adding to Seoul's ballet-filled summer, the Seongnam Arts Center will present 2025 Ballet Stars on July 26 and 27 at its Opera House in Gyeonggi Province — a gala performance that brings together internationally acclaimed ballet stars and rising next-generation dancers. This year's program, spread over two days with different lineups, offers a rich blend of classical and contemporary works. Highlights include beloved scenes from "Le Corsaire," "Giselle," "Swan Lake" and "Don Quixote" — perennial favorites among Korean audiences — as well as contemporary pieces rarely staged in Korea such as "Ballet 102," "Closer" and "To Fly Again." The 2025 edition features principal dancer Chae Ji-young and second soloist Lee Sun-woo of Boston Ballet, Kim Soo-min of Dresden Semperoper Ballet's corps de ballet and first soloist James Kirby Rogers, as well as Park Sang-won and Leo Hepler of the Dutch National Ballet. Also joining the stage are some of Korea's brightest rising stars. Park Youn-jae, who won first prize at this year's Prix de Lausanne, and Kang Gyeong-ho, who gained national attention by finishing second on Mnet dance competition show "Stage Fighter," will bring a fresh dynamic to the gala.


Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
Say 'kimchi': How photobooths have filled Korean streets
With tiny photos, Koreans turn moments into memories "Look at the camera and pose within 10 seconds after you hear the sound beep." After the countdown cue begins, put on your best smile, strike a pose, switch it up and let your best angle shine. And get ready for the next shot. After the minute-long shoot, flip through the snap photos, pick your favorites and print them out to take home. This is a scene at a self-service photo booth where anyone can snap fun shots and instantly print out bookmark-sized keepsakes that capture the moment. The photos are taken using automated cameras, lighting and backdrops. These unmanned photo "studios" are open 24 hours, meaning you can pop in whenever it strikes your fancy. Instructions are available in English, Japanese and Chinese as well. Walk through Seongsu-dong or Hongdae and you will be struck by how many of these unmanned photo studios there are, usually crowded with people casually stepping inside to snap memories as if it were a daily routine. Among the many studio booths, global selfie brand Life Four Cuts leads the pack. The name is a reference to its "four-cut" photo service — similar to traditional passport photos, with four snapshots framed in a vertical strip, with two printed copies costing 4,000 won ($2.91), 8,000 won for four copies and 12,000 won for six prints. Ha Yoo-ra, 20, a university student in Seoul, is among those who stepped into a four-cut photo booth with two friends for a fun memory. "(The three of us) have been friends since elementary school, but somehow never took a nice photo together, believe it or not, until now. So we decided to have a little makeover and dress nicely to mark our years of friendship. One day, I hope we will reminisce about the memories of the day we took the photo, what we ate and how we looked," Ha told The Korea Herald. "Also, the self-photo booths edit the pictures by making our skin look better and brighter, which is cost-friendly for college students," Ha added. To stand out in the fast-growing photo booth market, many brands are teaming up with K-pop stars, actors, popular cartoon characters and even sports figures. These time-limited designs add to the appeal by creating a one-of-a-kind experience. For example, Photoism opened an artist frame on May 26 that allows users to take photos with a frame featuring singer-songwriter IU to mark the release of her new EP "A Flower Bookmark, Pt. 3." The special edition frame will only be available until June 30. Yoshi from the K-pop group Treasure is another frame option available at Photoism. Released to mark his May 15 birthday, the frame will be available through June 15. Park Jun-seo, a college graduate who is an avid fan of boy band Enhypen, visited Photoism in November last year to to be in the same frame as her favorite idol. "Honestly, I think it is embarrassing to enter a self-studio photo booth to take a picture of yourself, but I wanted to be in the same picture with my idol. It wasn't about how pretty I looked in the picture but about the fact that I printed a photo of me standing next to my favorite singer, even if it was just a photo frame," Park explained. For sports fans, exclusive photo frames featuring baseball players from all 10 KBO teams are available through a partnership with the Korea Baseball Organization during the baseball season. During the baseball sesason fans can capture fun and personalized memories, posing "next" to their favorite player. The special edition frames are available through October. The photo-booth craze has also spread overseas. Korea's Life Four Cuts and Photomatic are now available in Singapore and London while local companies have jumped in on the market in Indonesia with homegrown brands like Photograms and Palette ID making big waves. "These pictures come with great quality at a budget-friendly price, which is why the MZ generation are preferring self-photo studios," a senior official overseeing marketing at Life Four Cuts told The Korea Herald. A total of 120 million visits have been made to Life Four Cuts since its launch in 2017 and the company runs around 410 stores in Korea, according to the company. Another reason driving the trend is that the pictures come out in formats that are easy to share on social media, according to the official. Also, limited-edition photo frames could trigger FOMO among people and lead to more repeat visits for photos with different celebrities in the frame. "The trend also aligns with the desire to capture and document everyday moments. With stylish frames and creative setups, these photo booths let anyone step in, take photos and express themselves comfortably and without feeling self-conscious," the official said.