Latest news with #Hunger
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
In ‘Hunger,' love so deep it crosses death — and consumes what's left behind
In buzzworthy cult classic, Choi Jin-young turns grief into hunger, questions the price we put on human life At its core, 'Hunger' is a love story — visceral, tender and almost unbearably devoted — that dares to push the boundaries of what it means to love someone beyond death. The macabre romance follows Gu and Dam, two lovers who grew up in the same neighborhood and remained obsessive and inseparable into adulthood, until Gu is murdered in the street by loan sharks. In a moment when time seems to stop, Dam cradles his body, carries it home and cleanses him in a ritualistic act. Then, slowly, she consumes him — literally entombing his body within her own, where her partner will live again. With each bite, she revisits bittersweet memories of their life together. Written by Choi Jin-young, one of Korea's leading literary voices, 'Hunger,' released in 2015, became a word-of-mouth sensation. The cult classic was recently published in the UK with a translation by Soje, and is soon to be released in North America, Italy, the Netherlands, China, Indonesia and across Spanish-speaking countries. Despite its gruesome premise, the novella unfolds with a sadness and an almost poetic calm, as though grief itself demands the act. The book is less about cannibalism than about why someone might feel compelled to cross that line. It's a meditation on love, the gutting pain of sudden loss and grief, and a society that treats human lives as disposable. Choi says the idea came from an unsettlingly tender place. 'While writing this story, I often looked back on the times I was with my lover. When I was in love, I sometimes imagined nibbling at and tearing off my lover's flesh, like cotton candy. That thought never felt grotesque,' said Choi, 43, in an interview with The Korea Herald last month. 'In Korea, people say they want to 'bite' someone they love dearly. In this story, eating wasn't monstrous — it was simply another way to express love.' One shadow that hangs over the two throughout is 'a grave of debt,' which 'became a parasite clinging to Gu's life, eating away at his humanity and sucking him dry.' Thus, the act of cannibalism becomes a device to show that society's treatment of individuals can be even more barbaric. Even in death, collectors hound Gu for repayment — a commentary on rampant capitalism and class inequality, where some lives are valued while others are treated not as human beings, but merely as bodies. 'I imagined eating as a way of mourning. but I also wanted to reflect my discomfort with how easily people put a price on human life,' Choi said. "When someone dies, compensation is the first thing discussed, translating a person's life into capital. I wanted to ask: If eating someone is barbaric, isn't buying and selling life also barbaric?' Love, in all its complexity Not every love story is beautiful in the conventional sense. Sometimes love is gutting and haunting, yet still undeniably beautiful. 'Hunger' occupies a strange dichotomy — part heart-aching love story, part disturbing violence — standing as an ode to doomed love. Before writing this book, Choi wrestled with a fundamental question: 'Do we need love at all?' 'Love can bring happiness, but it also breeds fights, misunderstandings, jealousy, obsession, fear of separation, and ultimately, inevitable parting. I kept asking myself why we must love if it leads to such pain." She felt that portraying an idyllic love story with a message of 'Let's love' would lack conviction. Instead, she sought to show a love that is painful, unfortunate and haunting, and to ask: 'Would you still choose to love?' 'For that reason, I created the characters Dam and Gu. I wrote the novel deeply empathizing with Dam, who loves Gu.' Near the end of the novel, she wrote, 'I'm not saying let's be happy. I'm saying let's be together. I don't mind being unhappy with you.' At that moment, Choi realized, 'I wrote this novel to find that sentence.' 'Starting from the question, 'Must we love?' the novel ends with the answer: 'Love that stays together despite unhappiness.' Since then, I have also tried to be someone who stays through hard times. Writing a novel is also a process that changes the writer." Choi sees love as the emotional core of her work. She wants to explore not only its warm and beautiful aspects but also its dark and fearful sides. 'I like to write about things I want to understand rather than what I already know. Love is something we can never fully grasp, which is why I keep writing about it.' But love is also something she wants to do well in this lifetime. 'To love well requires many skills and effort. Wisdom, patience, imagination, a spirit of sacrifice, tolerance, empathy, understanding, adaptability and wise judgment all need to be cultivated. By striving to love well, I believe both myself and my life will grow broader and deeper,' said Choi. 'And the love I portray in my stories is the same. I want to capture the wide, diverse and ever-changing spectrum of love. I want to keep exploring what love truly means.' How 'Hunger' defied time, took back bestseller lists When Koreans talk about 'Hunger,' the conversation inevitably leads to discussing a phenomenon that publishers and bookstores cannot explain. When the novella was published in 2015, it did not do well. But around 2020, it quietly gained traction among readers in their 20s and, a year later, its popularity among young adults exploded, driving a 234.6 percent increase in sales that year alone. Teen purchases skyrocketed by 8,500 percent, fueling the book's remarkable resurgence, according to Yes24, a major online book retailer. There was no special promotion or triggering event — the book simply caught on through word of mouth. Soon after, readers in their 30s and 40s joined in, cementing the book as a steady seller. In 2023, it ranked 9th on Kyobo Book Center's overall bestseller list and 19th in 2024. Roughly 400,000 copies have been sold as of August 2025, according to the Korean publisher EunHaengNaMu Publishing. Choi reflected on why the novel resonates so deeply with young readers. 'This is a very personal opinion, but I thought back to the fairy tales we read as children. Fairy tales and myths contain far stranger and more grotesque elements than eating a corpse. For instance, tigers devour mothers and impersonate them, siblings become the sun and the moon, witches are burned alive, people survive inside whales, or are born with magical hair. Mythological heroes kill fathers and devour sons,' explained Choi. 'In childhood, impossibility doesn't exist in storytelling. But as we grow and become socialized, we begin to question and set boundaries — 'this doesn't make sense.' Some adults cannot accept the fictional elements in a novel like this, while teenagers seem more willing to accept them.' On a similar note, Choi believes younger generations digest the intense, tragic and pure love between Gu and Dam far more naturally. 'Adults' definitions of love often narrow with age, excluding different kinds of love. When we consider the classics beloved over generations, their tragic love stories often end in heartbreak. Literature's role, I think, is to convey tragedy not as mere sorrow but as a deeper look into life's hidden realities. People cherish and deeply empathize with such stories.'
Arab News
2 days ago
- Health
- Arab News
Hunger and disease spreading in war-torn Sudan, WHO says
LONDON: Hunger and disease are spreading in war-torn Sudan, with famine already present in several areas, 25 million people acutely food insecure, and nearly 100,000 cholera cases recorded since last July, the World Health Organization said on Friday. Sudan's conflict between the army and rival Rapid Support Forces has displaced millions and split the country into rival zones of control, with the RSF still deeply embedded in western Sudan, and funding cuts are hampering humanitarian aid. 'Relentless violence has pushed Sudan's health system to the edge, adding to a crisis marked by hunger, illness, and despair,' WHO Senior Emergency Officer Ilham Nour said in a statement. Cholera has hit a camp for Darfur refugees in neighboring eastern Chad, the UN refugee agency said on Friday. 'Exacerbating the disease burden is hunger,' she said, adding that about 770,000 children under 5 years old are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year. Cholera has also hit a camp for Darfur refugees in eastern Chad, the UN refugee agency said on Friday. The World Health Organization said nearly 100,000 cholera cases had been reported in Sudan since July last year. An outbreak in the Dougui refugee settlement has so far resulted in 264 cases and 12 deaths, said Patrice Ahouansou, UNHCR's situation coordinator in the region, leading the agency to suspend the relocation of refugees from the border with Sudan to prevent new cases. 'Without urgent action, including enhancing access to medical treatment, to clean water, to sanitation, to hygiene, and most importantly, relocation from the border, many more lives are on the line,' Ahouansou told a briefing in Geneva. Oral cholera vaccination campaigns had been conducted in several states, including the capital Khartoum, he told a press conference with the Geneva UN correspondents' association ACANU. 'While we are seeing a declining trend in numbers, there are gaps in disease surveillance, and progress is fragile,' he said. 'Recent floods, affecting large parts of the country, are expected to worsen hunger and fuel more outbreaks of cholera, malaria, dengue, and other diseases.' Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that spreads through food and water contaminated with bacteria, often from feces. It causes severe diarrhea, vomiting, and muscle cramps. Cholera can kill within hours when not attended to, though it can be treated with simple oral rehydration and antibiotics for more severe cases. There has been a global increase in cholera cases and their geographical spread since 2021. 'In Sudan, unrelenting violence has led to widespread hunger, disease, and suffering,' said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. 'Cholera has swept across Sudan, with all states reporting outbreaks. Nearly 100,000 cases have been reported since July last year.' As for hunger, Tedros said there were reports from El-Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur state, that people were eating animal feed to survive. 'In the first six months of this year, nutrition centers supported by WHO have treated more than 17,000 severely malnourished children with medical complications. But many more are beyond reach,' Tedros warned. The UN health agency's efforts were being hindered by limited access and a lack of funding, he added, with the WHO having received less than a third of the money it had appealed for to provide urgent health assistance in Sudan. The WHO director-general said that as long as the violence continues in Sudan, 'we can expect to see more hunger, more displacement and more disease.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Hunger and disease spreading in war-torn Sudan, WHO says
Hunger and disease spreading in war-torn Sudan, WHO says LONDON (Reuters) -Hunger and disease are spreading in war-torn Sudan, with famine already present in several areas, 25 million people acutely food insecure and nearly 100,000 cholera cases recorded since last July, the World Health Organisation said on Friday. Sudan's conflict between the army and rival Rapid Support Forces has displaced millions and split the country into rival zones of control, with the RSF still deeply embedded in western Sudan, and funding cuts are hampering humanitarian aid. "Relentless violence has pushed Sudan's health system to the edge, adding to a crisis marked by hunger, illness and despair," WHO Senior Emergency Officer Ilham Nour said in a statement. "Exacerbating the disease burden is hunger," she said, adding that about 770,000 children under 5 years old are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year. Cholera has also hit a camp for Darfur refugees in neighbouring eastern Chad, the United Nations refugee agency said on Friday. An outbreak in the Dougui refugee settlement has so far resulted in 264 cases and 12 deaths, said Patrice Ahouansou, UNHCR's situation coordinator in the region, leading the agency to suspend the re-location of refugees from the border with Sudan to prevent new cases. "Without urgent action, including enhancing access to medical treatment, to clean water, to sanitation, to hygiene, and most important, relocation from the border, many more lives are on the line," Ahouansou told a briefing in Geneva.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Health
- Reuters
Hunger and disease spreading in war-torn Sudan, WHO says
LONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Hunger and disease are spreading in war-torn Sudan, with famine already present in several areas, 25 million people acutely food insecure and nearly 100,000 cholera cases recorded since last July, the World Health Organisation said on Friday. Sudan's conflict between the army and rival Rapid Support Forces has displaced millions and split the country into rival zones of control, with the RSF still deeply embedded in western Sudan, and funding cuts are hampering humanitarian aid. "Relentless violence has pushed Sudan's health system to the edge, adding to a crisis marked by hunger, illness and despair," WHO Senior Emergency Officer Ilham Nour said in a statement. "Exacerbating the disease burden is hunger," she said, adding that about 770,000 children under 5 years old are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year. Cholera has also hit a camp for Darfur refugees in neighbouring eastern Chad, the United Nations refugee agency said on Friday. An outbreak in the Dougui refugee settlement has so far resulted in 264 cases and 12 deaths, said Patrice Ahouansou, UNHCR's situation coordinator in the region, leading the agency to suspend the re-location of refugees from the border with Sudan to prevent new cases. "Without urgent action, including enhancing access to medical treatment, to clean water, to sanitation, to hygiene, and most important, relocation from the border, many more lives are on the line," Ahouansou told a briefing in Geneva.
Times of Oman
04-08-2025
- General
- Times of Oman
Afghanistan faces soaring hunger crisis as WFP seeks urgent aid
Kabul: Hunger in Afghanistan is worsening, with the World Food Programme (WFP) warning it needs $539 million over the next six months to address the country's growing food crisis, Khaama Press reported. The agency said on Sunday that returning women and children are among the most vulnerable, facing the harshest effects of rising food insecurity. According to Khaama Press, the WFP stated that the situation is deteriorating rapidly, as more Afghan families struggle to afford basic food amid widespread poverty and economic instability. "Two out of every three women leading households are unable to feed their families," WFP said, highlighting the dire condition that has left millions in desperate need of assistance. The organisation also reported that 3.5 million Afghan children are already suffering from malnutrition, further intensifying the humanitarian emergency. As per Khaama Press, the WFP said that 10 million people across Afghanistan now rely on humanitarian aid for survival, placing the country among the highest globally in terms of food insecurity. "This escalating crisis highlights the urgent need for sustained international support," the WFP noted, warning that without immediate funding, the risk of widespread hunger and deeper suffering--especially among vulnerable women and children--will only increase in the months ahead, Khaama Press reported. Worsening the humanitarian emergency, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) has revealed that Kabul now houses over 40 per cent of Afghanistan's total urban population, with most residents living in unsafe informal settlements, Khaama Press reported. According to the agency, four out of every five people in Kabul reside in informal areas that lack basic infrastructure and are highly exposed to environmental hazards. UN-Habitat warned that these communities "face increasing risks from extreme weather events driven by climate change," placing millions of residents in danger, as cited by Khaama Press. The organisation said immediate measures are essential to "strengthen climate resilience and address the unsafe living conditions that dominate the Afghanistan's capital." The report further pointed out that most returnees to Afghanistan are forced to live in these informal settlements, which frequently lack healthcare, sanitation, and other basic services. Highlighting the deepening humanitarian and environmental crisis, UN-Habitat noted, "Kabul's fragile housing situation has become both a humanitarian and environmental challenge." As per Khaama Press, the agency emphasised that without urgent investment in infrastructure, climate adaptation, and essential services, "Kabul's most vulnerable citizens will remain trapped in cycles of risk and deprivation."
