Korean Literature in the Global Literary Firmament

September 08 14:54 2021

2021 Korean Literature Review Contest to Be hosted Online in 12 Countries

Contest to Accept Essays and Personal Media Content

Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) (President Kwak Hyo-hwan), a public organization affiliated with the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Hwang Hee), will be hosting the 2021 Korean Literature Review Contest from June to November.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of its founding, LTI Korea presents a variety of literary programs designed to place Korean literature within the global literary firmament. As part of this endeavor, the 2021 Korean Literature Review Contest invites overseas readers in 12 different countries to explore Korean literature in translation. Previous Korean Literature Essay Contests, held from 2005 to 2020, had contestants from 28 countries around the world submit written essays. However, this year’s contestants are welcome to share their reviews in various formats, including textual essays, audio files, videos, and online content. LTI Korea’s aim is to encourage readers to interact with Korean literature extensively and innovatively.

The ten overseas organizations participating in this year’s contest are as follows: the International Institute of Korean Studies at the University of Central Lancashire (UK), Association Coree’Graphie (France), Temas de Hoy an imprint of Editorial Planeta (Spain), the Department of Korean Literature and Language at the International Center for Korean Studies of Moscow State University (Russia), National Writers Association (Brazil), Asia-Iberoamerica Cultural Foundation (Colombia), the Department of Korean Language at Harbin Institute of Technology (China), Department of Korean Language and Culture at National Cheng-chi University (Taiwan), Ujan (Bangladesh), and the Center for Korean Studies at Azerbaijan University of Languages (Azerbaijan). The participating organizations will be managing the contests in each respective country. For further information, please visit the official Instagram of the Korean Literature Review Contest (@klrc_official) or contact the participating organization of each country.

In the U.S., LTI Korea set up its own operations office, and began accepting online submissions on Thursday July 22nd. All U.S. residents interested in Korean literature are eligible to participate in the contest. Contestants are required to read a Koran literary work designated by LTI Korea, and produce critical responses in written, video or other formats. Submissions are accepted by email ([email protected]), and the results will be announced on LTI Korea’s website in October. From the winning entries from each country, the top 7 will be selected by online votes and a panel of experts in the final round. The seven prize-winners will receive 4.5 million KRW in total. For more information, please visit LTI Korea’s official website: (https://www.ltikorea.or.kr/en/).

The list of works for the contest mainly comprises Korean literary works that have recently been introduced overseas. The ten titles selected for the U.S. include Yun Ko-eun’s The Disaster Tourist (winner of the 2021 CWA Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger), Bae Suah’s Recitation (“What to Read Now: Summer Reading List 2017” selected by World Literature Today), and Kim Yideum’s Hysteria (winner of the 2020 Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize and the 2020 National Translation Award hosted by the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA)), all of which have gained a wider readership in the U.S. and beyond, and thus played a leading role in promoting ‘K-literature’ worldwide. By offering U.S. readers various contents and literary experiences in exciting new formats, this year’s contest is expected to give rise to heightened interest in Korean literature.

Yoonie Lee at LTI Korea said, “We ask for your interest and participation in this year’s contest, and look forward to seeing brilliant and creative reviews of Korean literature. We hope this program expands the global readership of Korean literature and serves as a new platform for the readers of Korean literature around the world.”

Media Contact
Company Name: Literature Translation Institute of Korea
Contact Person: Alex Baek
Email: Send Email
City: Seoul
Country: South Korea
Website: https://www.ltikorea.or.kr/en/

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