Korean Novelists Association Demands Public Apology from Minister Choo Mi-ae for "Writing Novels" Comment

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] The Korean Novelists Association has demanded a public apology from Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae.

This is because Minister Choo recently disparaged novels by saying "You're writing fiction" during a plenary session of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee in response to a question from Yoon Han-hong, a member of the United Future Party. When Yoon Han-hong raised suspicions linking his son's failure to return from military leave with allegations of a quid pro quo personnel appointment involving the Deputy Minister of Justice, Minister Choo replied, "You're writing fiction."

On the 30th, the Novelists Association, under the name of Chairman Kim Ho-woon and its members, stated in a press release, "Many novelists could not help but feel a sense of self-disgust beyond surprise upon witnessing this scene." They added, "Facing the reality where the Minister of Justice of a country treats novels as mere 'lies and nonsense,' we thought that fostering literature would be truly arduous." They continued, "Can the Minister of Justice casually disparage novels as 'lies' in front of the National Assembly and the public watching? This is no different from trampling on the dignity of novelists who quietly continue their creative work despite difficult conditions," urging Minister Choo to issue a public explanation and apology.

The association also said, "Since the Minister of Justice seems not to understand what a novel is, we feel compelled to provide a brief explanation first. It appears that the concepts of 'lie' and 'fiction (虛構)' are not understood, so we will clarify this," and academically explained the difference between novels and lies.

"A lie is an act of deceiving someone into believing that something fake is real. Fiction in novels is different from a lie. A novel is an artistic work created so that the reader, who already knows it is a 'made-up story,' believes it as a story that could possibly happen somewhere in this world."

The Korean Novelists Association is the only literary organization in Korea composed solely of novelists, established in 1974. As of February, it has about 1,300 members.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.