The Korea Cultural Centre Nigeria (KCCN), writers and literary enthusiasts in Abuja have celebrated Korean Literary Icon, Han Kang, for winning the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Kang’s win makes her the first Korean writer and the 18th woman to win the prestigious award announced by the Swedish Academy in Stockholm, Sweden, for what was described as an intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.

At an event to celebrate and honour her latest feat, KCCN Cultural Event Manager, YunJin Lee, noted that Kang’s win has recorded a lasting impact on Korean and Nigerian cultures and values, adding that her intense poetic prose confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.

With a focus on two of her major works; The Vegetarian” and “Human Acts.” Lee noted that recognising her recent achievement would help to promote the Korean culture not only to Nigerians but to the entire world..

She said: “What we are doing today is more than a literary event; we are here not to only introduce her work but also to seek people’s opinions on what her work meant to them. We are commemorating her in KCCN because there are more things we can exchange and communicate based on her works.

Commenting on the Swedish Academy’s highlight of Kang’s outstanding poetic expression of human traumas, Lee noted, “I think that is really the important point because we are facing and experiencing different things in our daily lives because our culture is different.

But the author did not only capture the historical events in her viewpoint, but she brought it more on a personal basis with the Nobel characters, which was really talking about humanity and trauma.”

Also speaking, the Artistic Director, of Arojah Royal Theatre, Jerry Adesewo who noted that nobody in the world would have imagined Kang to have won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature noted that through her win, the attention of the global community has been further drawn to Korea and what they have to offer when it comes to literature.

“The advantage I personally see for Nigerian and Korean literature will be the possibility of literary exchange between both countries. For nine years, we organised the Korean-Nigeria Poetry Festival, the whole essence of it is to have shared humanity experiences. It did not happen, but I think that this victory and achievement of Kang will probably propel the organisations to look into that direction.”

Ahmed Maiwada, a poet and novelist, said that Kang’s unique style of writing distinguished the Korean writer.

“Her books do not have any hard words, but I observed that her works are meant for adults not for children, because a child can get lost while reading her books. She is a technical writer, and a lecturer of literature. How she displays her works, seeing her major characters coming around and the psychological x-ray on humanity.

“This is a very technical experimental book. The language is very simple but a very technical one. Diverse narrations and diverse tenses. The flashbacks and fast forward sometimes confusing. The poetic prose is used sparsely but when she hits you, you won’t forget.”

MaiWada however regretted that many young Nigerian writers no longer have the necessary guidance on how to write and what literature to write.

“Most young Nigerians are misguided, they don’t know what literature to write. We always tell them they need to know what novels to read so that they can write things that can endure and last so that they can make an impact. You relate the realities of the times that you are living in.

“I would like to tell Nigerians and Africans that our culture is universal. I have seen everything African in this and I can see Korea in open your mind, and read from all cultures there is humanity there and then we can benefit.

Public Relations Officer of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Abuja chapter, Esther Adelana noted that Nigeria was open to literary partnerships and exchange with Korea saying, “We look forward to having international conversations that promote literature from different areas like the one that KCCN is currently doing.”