Hangang "Greatly Shocked by Emergency Martial Law Situation in 2024"

Author Han Kang said on the 6th (local time) at a press conference held in Stockholm, Sweden, to commemorate the Nobel Prize in Literature that she was deeply shocked by President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of martial law on the 3rd.

Han Kang said, "I was deeply shocked that a martial law situation unfolded in 2024," adding, "I think many Koreans probably felt the same over the past few days."

Han Kang, the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, is holding a press conference on the 6th (local time) at the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.
Photo by Yonhap News

However, she explained, "What is different about the situation in the winter of 2024 compared to previous martial law is that everything was broadcast live, so everyone could watch."

She also said, "The attitude of the young police officers and soldiers was impressive," adding, "I think many people felt this too?that they were trying to make judgments in an unexpected situation, feeling internal conflict, and moving as passively as possible."

Regarding the role of literature, Han Kang said, "Literature is an act of constantly entering into the inner world of others, and through that process, deeply exploring one's own inner self. By repeatedly engaging in such acts, an inner strength is formed."

The Swedish Academy selected Han Kang as the Nobel Prize in Literature laureate on October 10th. At that time, the Academy described her body of work as "powerful poetic prose confronting historical trauma and revealing the fragility of human life," explaining the reason for her selection.

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