180 literary works were translated into 29 other languages with support from the Literature Translation Institute of Korea throughout the course of this year, demonstrating the expanding popularity of Korean literature worldwide.
This represents the highest number of works translated in a single year since the establishment of LTI Korea in 1996.
According to LTI Korea, the rising demand for Korean literature in international markets is reflected in the increased number of requests for translation assistance that the organization has received this year.
This year, a total of 156 foreign publishers sought LTI Korea's translation and publication assistance after obtaining copyrights for Korean literary works from the Korean government. Moreover, the institution stated that when the program was originally started in 2014, there were just 13 requests for assistance.
"We used to mostly work with Korean publishers that were attempting to extend their operations outside. "However, this statistic demonstrates that overseas publishers' desire for Korean literature has risen," a representative of LTI Korea told The Korea Herald. "Because not all novels are translated and published in other countries through us, we believe that there may be more instances of foreign publishers obtaining copyrights for Korean literature in the future."
As LTI Korea points out, the expanding global influence of Hallyu as well as high-quality translations are contributing to the increased interest in Korean literature. According to LTI Korea, these shifts are partly owing to the success of certain Korean writers, such Yun Ko-eun and Ma Yeong-shin, who have received international recognition.
Yun's work "The Disaster Tourist," published in July, made history by being the first novel from Korea to win a CWA Dagger in the category of Crime Fiction in Translation. The Dagger awards, presented by the Crime Writers' Association of the United Kingdom, acknowledge outstanding achievement in the field of crime writing.
In October, Ma's graphic book "Moms" was named the winner of the Harvey Award for the Best International Book of the Year. The Harvey Awards, which were established in 1988 to honor the literary achievements of Harvey Kurtzman, have been selecting high-quality comic books, graphic novels, and manga ever since (1924-1993).
The demand for translated copies of works by South Korean author Han Kang, who received the Man Booker International Prize in 2016, has also expanded considerably in recent years. Han Kang's novels have been translated into a number of languages, including English.
After she won the prize in 2016, LTI Korea provided funding for a total of 47 translations of works by Han. Prior to that, less than 10 translations of her works were accessible.
It is expected that more than 200 Korean books in translation will be published in foreign languages in the coming year, including "Three Generations of Railworkers" by Hwang Sok-yong, which is currently being published in Spain, and "28," written by Jeong You-jeong, which is currently being published in Indonesia.
In order to meet the increased demand, the institute has stated that it will develop publishing strategies for different countries in the near future.
