Visitors browse booths at the Seoul International Book Fair, held at the COEX exhibition hall in Seoul on June 18, 2025. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — Sales of translated Korean literature soared to new heights in 2024, fueled in large part by author Han Kang’s Nobel Prize win, according to figures released Wednesday by a state-run agency.
The Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) said global sales of Korean titles it supported reached 1.2 million copies last year, marking a 130% increase from 2023. Average sales per title rose to 1,271 copies—the highest on record—while 45 titles sold more than 5,000 copies each. Of those, 24 broke the 10,000-copy threshold.
Han Kang, who was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, was the clear standout. Overseas sales of her 19 translated titles quintupled to 150,000 copies, compared with just 30,000 a year earlier.
But the Nobel effect extended beyond one author. Other contemporary Korean works gained traction as well, including Chung Bora’s Cursed Bunny, which earned nominations for both the International Booker Prize and the National Book Award. Park Sang-young’s Love in the Big City and Cho Nam-joo’s Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 also posted strong international performances.
A woman buys Nobel laureate Han Kang’s books at Kyobo Book Store in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, on Oct. 15, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
LTI Korea credited the sales boom to growing readership in North America and Europe, which has prompted foreign publishers to embrace Korean titles more aggressively. “Distribution channels and marketing power in these regions have significantly improved overseas access to Korean literature,” the institute said in a statement.
The sharp rise comes amid a broader global interest in Korean culture, from pop music to film and television, with literature emerging as the latest front in what has been dubbed the Korean Wave.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
