Yi Sang Literary Award Goes to Soojeong Wi's "Snow and Stones": The Responsibility of Relationships That Persist Beyond Death

A Journey Designed by the Dead, Carried Out to the End by the Living
Author: "A Novel Written Out of Necessity, Not for Understanding"

The grand prize of the 49th Yi Sang Literary Award was awarded to novelist Soojeong Wi (49) for her short story "Snow and Stones."

Dasan Books, the organizer of the Yi Sang Literary Award, held a press conference at Dalgaebi in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 27th to announce the winning work and the background behind its selection. Throughout the press conference, Soojeong Wi, who attended the event, mentioned the word "necessity" more frequently than "joy" while expressing her thoughts on winning the award.

Soojeong Wi said, "Until now, I have written with the desire to be understood by readers. I thought that was the duty and courtesy of a writer," adding, "However, 'Snow and Stones' is a novel I wrote out of my own necessity." She continued, "That is why receiving the Yi Sang Literary Award for this work is even more meaningful to me."

"Snow and Stones" tells the story of three friends who have maintained a loose yet special friendship for nearly 20 years. In order to keep a promise left by the friend who passed away first, the two remaining friends head to the snowy fields of Japan. From the start, the journey is twisted, as it is not a choice made by the living, but a journey prearranged by the deceased.

Wi explained this setup by saying, "It is a structure in which the living follow a journey planned by the dead, placing life and death side by side as they move forward." Although she does not appear directly in the novel, the character "Sujin," who makes the entire story possible, exists in this way as well. Wi described her as "a character who does not appear in the novel, but makes the novel possible."

The snowy landscape in the story serves as both the backdrop for mourning and a source of threat. Wi said, "When you look out the rear window of a car, the scenery seems peaceful, but from the driver's seat, it can suddenly turn terrifying. In the face of nature, the physical frailty of humans is revealed most starkly," adding, "I also thought that mourning is not simply a beautiful or purifying process."

The "snow" and "stones" in the title are images that permeate the entire novel. The quietly accumulating snow symbolizes mourning and silence, but it is also a threat that can swallow everything. Stones, as small and solid objects, evoke the idea of something you can hold in your hand.

At the press conference, Wi said, "Looking from afar, I wondered what it is that I can hold in my hand. Unlike snow, which disappears the moment you grasp it, I wanted something that remains, like a small stone. For me, that was writing." The awareness that life and death, beauty and fear, share the same face forms the core sentiment of this novel.

Wi stated that this work intentionally departs from the traditional completeness of a short story. The way the characters' narratives become blurred or suddenly disappear is also a deliberate choice.

She said, "Life is never neatly organized in a narrative," adding, "Even if I stray from the 'well-made story' format expected of short stories, I wanted to bring in the aspects of life that I believe are true." She continued, "This novel is a work that I can accept a little more for myself."

The judges also took note of these choices. Kim Kyungwook, a novelist and final round judge, described the work as "a novel that possesses the strength to endure anxiety within anxiety." Wi said, "I was worried that my intentions might not be properly understood, but reading the judges' comments gave me relief and comfort."

At the end of the press conference, Wi spoke about mourning: "At some point in our lives, don't we all live while mourning? It may seem as if nothing changes, but there is something inside us that gradually shifts. Perhaps that is the hope left for humanity."

During the press conference, Wi's creative attitude was also revealed with relative candor. She said, "I have a desire to make people laugh. Even now, I want to make people laugh with witty stories, but I'm too nervous to do so," adding, "Ultimately, the kind of novel I want to write is one that is scary but funny." She confessed her fondness for black comedy, saying, "Some people say that Korean literature is too gloomy and hard to approach, and my novels are like that too, but despite that, I want to find a sense of rhythm."

Wi began her literary career in 2017 when her novella "The Grave, Bit by Bit" was selected in the Dong-A Ilbo New Year's Literary Contest. Since then, through story collections such as "The World of Silver" and "Nights We Don't Have," she has persistently captured the hidden sides of seemingly peaceful lives and human desires. Her literary world has been recognized with the Kim Yujeong Literary Award in 2022 and the Hankook Ilbo Literary Award in 2024, and with this grand prize at the Yi Sang Literary Award, she is once again in the spotlight.

This year's Yi Sang Literary Award considered about 200 mid-length and short stories published in major literary magazines between January and September 2025. The Excellence Awards went to Hyejin Kim's "Attention Seekers," Hyeryeong Sung's "The Tycoon," Minjin Lee's "The Ethics of Winter," Ihyun Jeong's "The Failure Crew," and Yooni Ham's "When Our Enemies Climb the Mountain." The grand prize comes with an award of 50 million won, and each Excellence Award winner receives 5 million won.