[비즈한국] Author Han Kang's works have dominated bookstores this year, just as they did last year. The 'Han Kang craze' has continued even among the younger generation. In major university libraries, Han Kang's books have consistently ranked at the top of the lending lists. The Nobel Prize effect is still very much alive. It is not limited to just Han Kang's novels; statistics showing an overall increase in novel sales by over 20% confirm this. According to data from the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea, novel sales in the domestic publishing market increased significantly in 2025, a trend attributed to Han Kang's Nobel Prize win. While 5.2 million copies were sold cumulatively from January to September last year, 6.37 million copies were sold during the same period this year, marking a 22.5% increase from the previous year.
The ratio of domestic to international novels is also significant. According to online bookstores, while sales of Korean novels in 2024 increased by 103.7% compared to 2023, sales of international novels grew by only 8.8%. From January to September 2025, sales of Korean novels rose by 46.9% compared to 2024, whereas international novels saw a mere 0.8% increase, effectively remaining stagnant. This leads to the conclusion that readers are paying more attention to domestic authors than to international works.
This phenomenon is attributed in part to the influx of young readers following Han Kang's Nobel Prize win. The emergence of young writers is also a factor. This year's bestselling novels include Han Kang's 'Human Acts', Seong Hae-na's 'Honmono', Jeong Dae-geon's 'Rapid Current', Yang Gui-ja's 'Contradictions', and Kim Ae-ran's 'I Said Goodbye'. Among them, Seong Hae-na is a rising writer born in 1994 who debuted in 2019. 'Honmono', which weaves through shamanism, modern history, and fandom culture, is receiving passionate support from the younger generation. Actor Park Jung-min's recommendation, "Why watch Netflix? You should be reading Seong Hae-na's book," speaks to the characteristics and cultural significance of this work. Major literary award winners are also from the 90s generation. The 48th Yi Sang Literary Award winner Ye So-yeon, the 26th Lee Hyo-seok Literary Award winner Lee Hee-joo, and the 43rd Shin Dong-yup Literary Award winner Seong Hae-na all share the commonality of being born in the 90s. In the field of poetry, young writers like Cha Jeong-eun, Ko Seon-kyung, and Yoo Seon-hye, who are in their late teens to twenties, are also highly active. In short, the effect of Han Kang's Nobel Prize and the emergence of young writers are adding vitality to the literary scene.
However, a different perspective emerged at the 48th Regular Academic Conference of the Korean Publishing Science Society on November 28. It was argued that, contrary to the domestic situation, the growth of Korean literature overseas has actually slowed. According to the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, overseas sales of translated literary books increased about 2.3 times in 2024 compared to the previous year, so why is this being said?
According to surveys on the actual status of the Korean Wave abroad, while other K-content like dramas and webtoons have grown rapidly, the popularity of Korean publications has slowed down significantly over the past five years. In a 2024 survey on the experience of Korean cultural content, publications ranked at the bottom. Why is this happening? It is because the introduction of most Korean literature abroad, including that of Han Kang, is limited to pure literature. In this context, the concept of 'Upmarket Fiction' is gaining attention.
Upmarket Fiction refers to works that harmoniously combine commercial appeal with the characteristics of pure literature. It can be seen as a genre that possesses both mass appeal and literary quality. More specifically, it refers to works characterized by relatable characters, general and universal themes, and engaging storytelling that captures the broad interest of readers. These works are exciting, highly readable, and easy to understand and empathize with. Such works should be considered as a priority for overseas translation. However, the reality is different. Writers who debut through pure literary media are introduced overseas with the backing of the prestige of literary awards and translation support. Even abroad, they receive attention from pure literary media and sometimes win prestigious literary awards like author Han Kang.
But such works have limitations in gaining empathy from the local younger generation. Just like in Korea, young people abroad may prefer web novels over pure literature. However, popular web works are not introduced abroad with translation support. Translation support is very limited, even though web novels have a high potential for adaptation into dramas and films. Considering this, the interest in novels shown at large bookstores may be a temporary phenomenon.
Young people around the world want to experience K-content and K-style because of 'synchronicity.' They want to share the same popular works that Korean youth are currently enjoying. While Han Kang's works are excellent, I am not sure how many in the 10-20 age group consider them their 'life's best work.' Considering this, the path that literature must take from the perspective of K-content is clear. K-content ultimately aims for popular culture. Translation support must also flow from the bottom up, rather than a 'top-down' approach. This is especially true in the smart mobile era. This is something that K-content has already demonstrated.
※ The views expressed by external contributors may differ from the editorial direction of this publication.
Author Kim Heon-sik has spent his life since his 20s exploring or navigating the forest of popular culture phenomena with the expectation that there is a way to make the world better through culture. He continues on this same path with the same belief in the 21st century, where artificial intelligence and quantum computers are at the forefront.