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Asia News Network
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Asia News Network
Which Korean books are winning over readers abroad?
August 7, 2025 SEOUL – Sales of Korean literature abroad more than doubled in 2024, driven by a wave of international enthusiasm and a historic Nobel Prize win by Han Kang, according to new data released by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) on Wednesday. Books supported by LTI Korea's translation and publication grants sold about 1.2 million copies abroad last year, a jump of more than 130 percent from 520,000 in 2023. The survey also showed that between 2020 and 2024, 942 titles across 40 languages sold a cumulative 2.68 million copies — up 730,000 from the previous five-year period (2019-2023). Both the number of titles released and overall sales soared in 2024. The average number of copies sold per book hit a record high of 1,271, with 45 titles surpassing 5,000 copies and 24 exceeding 10,000. Among the bestsellers were Han Kang's 'Greek Lessons' (English), Kim Ji-yun's 'Yeonnam-dong's Smiley Laundromat' (English), Park So-young's 'Snowglobe' (English), Lee Mi-ye's 'The Dallergut Dream Department Store' (French), Kim Ho-yeon's 'The Second Chance Convenience Store' (German) and Son Won-pyung's 'The Majestic Fox Tail' (Russian). Several titles have established themselves as steady sellers, including Bora Chung's 'Cursed Bunny' (English), Park Sang-young's 'Love in the Big City' (English) and Cho Nam-ju's 'Kim Ji-young, Born 1982' (German), each selling more than 4,000 copies annually for three consecutive years. Healing fiction continued to show strong growth in overseas markets. Korean runaway bestsellers like 'The Second Chance Convenience Store,' 'The Dallergut Dream Department Store' and 'Marigold Mind Laundry' have steadily built wide readerships abroad, said an LTI Korea official. In Turkey, 'Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop' sold over 80,000 copies in 2024 alone, while in Poland, over 20,000 copies of 'The Second Chance Convenience Store' were sold. Genre literature also made gains. The German edition of the first book in Lee Yeong-do's 'Bird That Drinks Tears' series sold more than 20,000 copies, while Keum Suk Gendry-Kim's graphic novel 'Grass' (Spanish) has surpassed 10,000 annual sales for three years running. Han's Nobel win in 2024 proved a decisive catalyst for Korean literature's global reach, according to LTI Korea. Han's works, translated into 28 languages and published in 77 editions with LTI Korea support, sold approximately 310,000 copies last year alone. Interest extended beyond her latest releases: Annual overseas sales of her pre-2023 titles jumped fivefold, from about 30,000 copies in 2023 to 150,000 in 2024.
Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Which Korean books are winning over readers abroad?
Overseas sales of Korean books hit record 1.2M in 2024, LTI Korea reports Sales of Korean literature abroad more than doubled in 2024, driven by a wave of international enthusiasm and a historic Nobel Prize win by Han Kang, according to new data released by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) on Wednesday. Books supported by LTI Korea's translation and publication grants sold about 1.2 million copies abroad last year, a jump of more than 130 percent from 520,000 in 2023. The survey also showed that between 2020 and 2024, 942 titles across 40 languages sold a cumulative 2.68 million copies — up 730,000 from the previous five-year period (2019-2023). Both the number of titles released and overall sales soared in 2024. The average number of copies sold per book hit a record high of 1,271, with 45 titles surpassing 5,000 copies and 24 exceeding 10,000. Among the bestsellers were Han Kang's "Greek Lessons" (English), Kim Ji-yun's "Yeonnam-dong's Smiley Laundromat" (English), Park So-young's "Snowglobe" (English), Lee Mi-ye's "The Dallergut Dream Department Store" (French), Kim Ho-yeon's "The Second Chance Convenience Store" (German) and Son Won-pyung's "The Majestic Fox Tail" (Russian). Several titles have established themselves as steady sellers, including Bora Chung's "Cursed Bunny" (English), Park Sang-young's "Love in the Big City" (English) and Cho Nam-ju's "Kim Ji-young, Born 1982" (German), each selling more than 4,000 copies annually for three consecutive years. Healing fiction continued to show strong growth in overseas markets. Korean runaway bestsellers like "The Second Chance Convenience Store," "The Dallergut Dream Department Store" and "Marigold Mind Laundry" have steadily built wide readerships abroad, said an LTI Korea official. In Turkey, "Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop" sold over 80,000 copies in 2024 alone, while in Poland, over 20,000 copies of "The Second Chance Convenience Store" were sold. Genre literature also made gains. The German edition of the first book in Lee Yeong-do's 'Bird That Drinks Tears' series sold more than 20,000 copies, while Keum Suk Gendry-Kim's graphic novel "Grass" (Spanish) has surpassed 10,000 annual sales for three years running. Han's Nobel win in 2024 proved a decisive catalyst for Korean literature's global reach, according to LTI Korea. Han's works, translated into 28 languages and published in 77 editions with LTI Korea support, sold approximately 310,000 copies last year alone. Interest extended beyond her latest releases: Annual overseas sales of her pre-2023 titles jumped fivefold, from about 30,000 copies in 2023 to 150,000 in 2024.
Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Overseas sales of translated Korean books hit record high after Nobel win
Sales of translated Korean literature overseas rose significantly last year from a year ago, amid heightened attention following Han Kang's Nobel Prize win, a state agency said Wednesday. According to the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, 1.2 million copies of agency-supported Korean books were sold worldwide in 2024, up a whopping 130 percent on-year. The average sales per book hit a record high of 1,271 copies. Among them, 45 books sold more than 5,000 copies each, with 24 books surpassing the 10,000-copy mark. The agency attributed the surge to Han Kang's Nobel Prize in literature for 2024. Sales of her 19 translated books rose fivefold, reaching 150,000 copies compared to 30,000 in 2023. Other novels also showed solid performances overseas, including Chung Bora's "Cursed Bunny," which was shortlisted for both the International Booker Prize and the National Book Award, Park Sang-young's "Love in the Big City" and Cho Nam-joo's "Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982." LTI Korea said the expanding readership in North America and Europe has encouraged foreign publishers to "more actively introduce Korean books," adding that these publishers' "distribution channels and marketing power highly enhanced overseas access to Korean literature." (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
After Han Kang's Nobel win, forum to discuss expanding global reach of Korean literature
Following Han Kang's historic Nobel Prize in literature win last year, leading academics in translation and Korean studies, as well as translators from around the world, will gather in Seoul to explore new strategies for expanding Korean literature's reach. The Literature Translation Institute of Korea will host the 2025 LTI Korea Global Literature Forum on July 3-4 at Yonsei University, Han's alma mater. The forum, held under the theme 'Strategies for Fostering the Global Expansion of Korean Literature,' will bring together domestic and international experts to discuss long-term approaches for strengthening the global influence of Korean literary works. The two-day program is divided into a Research Session on July 3 and a Translation Session on July 4. Discussions will focus on the global reception of Korean literature since the Nobel win, current academic research trends and ways to enhance the literary translation ecosystem. Scholars and translators working in English, European and Asian language regions will contribute to the dialogue. The forum will open on July 3 with a keynote address by Kwon Young-min, professor emeritus at Seoul National University, who will reflect on the significance of the Nobel Prize for Korean literature and the challenges ahead for its continued international growth. This will be followed by a series of academic presentations and discussions featuring scholars from around the world, including Antonio J. Domenech (University of Malaga), Susan Hwang (University of California, Santa Barbara) and Grace Koh (SOAS University of London). On July 4, the Translation Session will spotlight the present and future of Korean literary translation. Renowned poet Kim Hye-soon and Jeffrey Yang, literary editor at New Directions, will open the day with a conversation on the meaning of Korean literature for international readers and the evolving role of translation. This will be followed by thematic discussions among active translators from across the globe, including Seon Lin Halbert and Janet Hong, on key topics such as translator education, the literary translation ecosystem and global support systems.
Korea Herald
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Leading Korean women writers to speak in Madrid, Salamanca
The Literature Translation Institute of Korea, in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Center in Spain, will host a special Korean literature event series, 'Stories Crossing the Night: Encountering Korean Literature,' April 25-28 in Madrid and Salamanca. Renowned Korean authors Kim Ae-ran, Bae Suah and Son Won-pyung will take part in the event, which is set to coincide with Madrid's flagship literary festival, La Noche de los Libros (The Night of Books). Launched in 2005 and now celebrating its 20th anniversary, the festival is one of Spain's most significant literary gatherings, drawing over 300 authors each year from around the world. Kim's latest short story collection in Spanish, "The Luck of Flight," was published in February, marking her third work translated into Spanish following "Run, Pop, Run!" and "Summer Outside." Known for her delicate prose and deeply introspective narratives, Kim's literary world continues to gain recognition among Spanish readers, said an LTI Korea official. Following "Untold Night and Day," Bae released "Nowhere to Be Found" in January, further expanding her presence in the Spanish literary market. Son has also recently published "Counterattack at Thirty" in Spain. Her coming-of-age novel, "Almond," published in 2020, has sold over 15,000 copies in Korea. "Almond" and her second novel, "Tube," are available in Spanish. The Korean literature program will open April 25 at 6 p.m. at Madrid's Circulo de Bellas Artes cultural center, followed by an in-depth discussion April 26 from 4 p.m. at Libreria La Mistral, where the three writers will each explore their creative worlds. On April 28 at 11 a.m., the authors will discuss the diversity and richness of contemporary Korean literature at the University of Salamanca's Department of Philology on the first floor of the Palacio de Anaya Aula Magna.
