First South Korean author Han Kang wins 2024 Nobel Prize for confronting human fragility

South Korean author Han Kang has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in literature for her “intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life,” according to the Swedish Academy. Han, 53, is the first South Korean author to receive the prestigious honor, which comes with a cash prize of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million).

Han began her writing career with poetry and made her prose debut in 1995 with a short story collection. Her breakthrough novel The Vegetarian, which won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016, portrays a woman’s transformation into a plant-like existence after experiencing nightmares of human cruelty. The Swedish Academy praised Han’s work for its "unique awareness of the connections between body and soul, the living and the dead."

Anna-Karin Palm, a member of the Nobel Committee, highlighted Human Acts—Han’s 2014 novel based on the 1980 Gwangju Uprising—as an ideal starting point for new readers. The novel reflects on the violent pro-democracy protests and their lasting effects. Palm said Han’s "very tender, precise prose" serves as a counterforce to the brutal historical events she depicts.

Announcing the award, Mats Malm, the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, shared that Han was “having an ordinary day” and “just finished supper with her son” when informed of her win. Preparations for the December 10 Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm are underway.