Han Kang’s Books Sell Out in S. Korea After Nobel Win

Major South Korean bookstores, including The Kyobo Bookstore, sold out of author Han Kang’s books today, with sales skyrocketing and the share price of local publishers soaring following her historic Nobel Prize win.

Han Kang is the first Asian woman to win the literary award, short-story writer and novelist, best known overseas for “The Vegetarian”, her first novel to be translated into English, which won the Man Booker Prize in 2016. The 53-year-old was honored with the Nobel “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life”, the Swedish Academy said.

Shortly after the announcement, which came late yesterday in Seoul, major bookstore websites across the country crashed as people rushed to order her books. Han’s works quickly filled all 10 slots on bookstore chain Kyobo’s real-time bestseller list, with the company telling AFP that 60,000 copies of Han’s books had been sold early today – 451 times more than the day before. “We’re obviously thrilled, and it’s incredible to see so many people wanting to read books all at once,” Kyobo spokesperson Kim Hyun-jung told AFP. “Since there has never been a Nobel Prize-winning work in the Korean language, I think readers are both excited and somewhat unaccustomed to this very happy situation.”

Shares of online book retailers such as YES24 and Millie Seojae skyrocketed today, reaching the daily limit of 30%, after which trade was suspended. A YES24 spokesperson told AFP that almost 80,000 copies of Han’s three books – “Human Acts”, “The Vegetarian”, and “I Do Not Bid Farewell” – had been sold as of this morning.

Han’s father Han Seung-won, who is also a novelist, said he initially could not believe the news of his daughter’s win. “A reporter called me to ask for my reaction,” he told reporters. “I responded: ‘Are you being misled by some fake news?'” But he spoke proudly of Han and her works, saying, “There’s nothing to discard in Kang’s novels. Each one is a masterpiece.” Kim Min-ji, a 27-year-old fan, said she ran to the Kyobo Book Centre as soon as she heard Han won the Nobel. “I told everyone she was going to be a great author, for crying out loud. It was like I won the award, really,” she told AFP. “A South Korean winning the Nobel literature prize is just crazy.”

Han’s Nobel Prize win has sparked a sudden surge in interest in her works, with many fans and readers rushing to purchase her books. This unprecedented demand has led to a significant increase in sales, with many bookstores selling out of her titles. This increased interest in Han’s works is a testament to her talent and the impact her writing has had on readers around the world.

* Who is Han Kang?
Han Kang is a South Korean author, best known for her novel “The Vegetarian”, which won the Man Booker Prize in 2016.
* What is the Nobel Prize?
The Nobel Prize is a set of annual international awards bestowed in several categories, including literature, physics, chemistry, and physiology or medicine.
* What is the significance of Han’s Nobel Prize win?
Han’s win marks the first time a South Korean author has won the Nobel Prize in Literature, and it is seen as a significant milestone for Korean literature and culture.
* How many copies of Han’s books have been sold?
As of this morning, almost 80,000 copies of Han’s three books have been sold.