Winning the Nobel Prize in literature is not the final stop but a beginning, said Chon Soo-young, president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, during a press conference marking her first 100 days in office in Seoul, Monday.
“We aim to establish a strong foundation for Korean literature to thrive as a vital part of world literature,” said Chon, who has been leading the government-affiliated institute charged with promoting Korean literature globally since August.
The 70-year-old emeritus professor of English Literature at Ewha Womans University has laid out an ambitious road map, focusing on three key priorities: Fostering global discourse on Korean literature, strengthening international literary networks and establishing a graduate school for Korean literary translation.
The proposed graduate school has been a long-awaited project for LTI Korea.
“The time has come to make this happen,” Chon said, emphasizing the need for a degree-granting institution focused on literary translation.
While previous attempts to establish the school faltered due to legal and institutional hurdles, renewed efforts are underway. An amendment to the Literature Promotion Act, which could pave the way for the school, introduced by Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yun-duk last month, is currently under review.
Since 2008, LTI Korea has operated a nondegree Translation Academy, graduating approximately 30 students annually, 80 to 90 percent of whom are international students from seven major language regions. However, many graduates face challenges, including insecure visa status and limited professional opportunities and compensation, due to the program's nondegree status.
Chon explained that transforming the academy into a graduate school would equip students with academic credentials, enabling them to secure positions more easily as Korean literature professors, translators or literary agents in their home countries.
“These graduates could serve as hubs for spreading Korean literature globally,” she said.
Unlike existing translation schools at universities in Korea, which primarily focus on business-oriented careers or interpretation, LTI Korea is dedicated to specializing in literary translation. Chon also pointed out that the field could expand to encompass broader K-culture content, such as web novels and webtoons.
“In the past, our efforts were hindered by concerns about overlap with other translation schools in Korea, but now, I believe, the understanding of the field among stakeholders has matured and the conditions for establishing this graduate school are ripe,” Chon said.
LTI Korea also plans to foster international discourse on Korean literature by organizing forums with international scholars, translators and publishing professionals. These efforts will be complemented by the publication of critical essays and anthologies of Korean literature in various languages.
To deepen literary exchanges, LTI Korea will bolster its international events, such as the Seoul International Writers’ Festival, expanding its scope to include emerging genres like young adult and diaspora literature.
Chon underscored LTI Korea’s crucial role in supporting prominent Korean authors. Notably, Nobel laureate Han Kang has received the most substantial backing, with 1 billion won ($720,000) invested in translating her works into 28 languages and funding her participation in major literary events.
Chon also highlighted the growing international recognition of Korean literature. Over the five years of 2019-2023, Korean literary works sold approximately 1.95 million copies abroad, with 540,000 sold last year, marking a 23 percent increase from the previous year’s 440,000.
Eleven titles, including Han Kang’s “Greek Lessons” (French edition), Cho Nam-ju’s “Kim Ji-young, Born 1982” (Spanish edition) and Sohn Won-pyung’s “Almond” (Japanese edition), each sold over 10,000 copies last year.
