Gochang County: Author Lee Eog-weon Wins Shin Jae-hyo Literary Award

"The Morning of the Crested Ibis"
Scheduled for Publication by Dasan Books in February Next Year

Gochang County in North Jeolla Province announced that author Lee Eog-weon's work "The Morning of the Crested Ibis" has been selected as the winner of the 5th Gochang Shin Jae-hyo Literary Award.

According to the county on November 6, the winning work was chosen by a panel of Korea's leading literary figures-Lee Byungcheon, Kim Jonggwang, Park Youngjin, Lee Seonga, and Jeong Jia. The prize money is 50 million won.

Photo by Lee Eog-weon. Courtesy of Gochang County

"The Morning of the Crested Ibis," which was selected as the winning entry, tells the story of a protagonist who loses his family to war and disease and lives as a construction worker digging the earth, and his son, an archaeologist. Through the conflicts and understanding between father and son, the novel depicts the history, nature, and lives of the people of Gochang.

Lee Eog-weon was born in Sinlim-myeon, Gochang County, and graduated from the Department of Creative Writing at Wonkwang University Graduate School. Beginning with his 2020 work "Father's First Song," he has produced a variety of works including "The Boy's River" and "The Man Without a Crown of the Well."

Now in its fifth year, the Gochang Shin Jae-hyo Literary Award was first established in 2021 to lay the foundation for the creation of cultural content based on Gochang's diverse cultural resources. The winning work is scheduled to be published by Dasan Books around February next year.

County Governor Sim Deokseop stated, "This year's winning work tells the story of those who left Gochang and those who stayed, and I am especially pleased that a work so representative of Gochang has been selected. I hope it will become a cultural and tourism asset that introduces Gochang to the world."

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