LTI Korea 
DLKL 
SIWF 
Table of Contents
Bookshelf
From The Translator’s Desk
Featured Writer
Bookmark
Reviews
- [Featured Review] On the Eve of the Uprising
- [ENGLISH] Empathy and Automation at Odds
- [JAPANESE] Punishment and Crime: A Socially-Conscious Mystery Novel
- [TURKISH] Within the Shell of Silence: Reading Han Kang’s Your Cold Hands
- [SPANISH] Whale, an Overflowing Fable
- [DUTCH] A Slice of Crypto Life: The Universal Charm of the Office Escape Plan
LTI Korea Now
Introduction
In Korea, aspiring writers traditionally have gone through a weeding process called “deungdan” whereby newspapers and literary magazines operating literary prizes select a handful of winners every year, conferring on them the dignity of having “debuted” publicly as an author. This literary debut system, first initiated by a newspaper called Maeil Shinbo during the Japanese occupation, was part of a larger cultural and ideological program to secure a wider newspaper audience. The winner was announced on the first day of the New Year, thus signaling the imminent approach of spring. This is why the newspaper prizes traditionally have been called Sinchun Munye, or Spring Literary Contests. Many newspapers followed suit, and to this day most prominent newspapers in Korea operate a Spring Literary Contest. An alternative method to “debut” as a writer in Korea is to win an Emerging Writer Award conferred by a literary magazine funded by a major publisher. In this way, newspapers and magazines have been turning out literary stars year after year. Both publishers and authors profit from the publicity generated by this literary system; readers also benefit from the selective curation provided by these prizes and awards.
However, in recent years many people have been pointing to structural problems embedded in this highly institutionalized process of producing just a handful of stars every year. The stories recounted by Soyoon Won and Jo Hae Ju in this issue show that many writers have been successfully exploring alternate paths to publication. How can we open up the Korean literary system to encourage emerging talent and to provide more opportunities for aspiring writers? The winter issue of KLN participates in this ongoing project and query.
In some ways, translators in Korea can also be said to “debut” when they receive translation prizes. The Korea Times Modern Korean Literature Translation Award, the Daesan Literary Award for translated works, and LTI Korea Translation Award for Aspiring Translators are some examples of prizes awarded to translators of Korean literature. Because the number of translation prizes is small, however, their impact is arguably more limited. Indeed, many translators make their mark on the world by successfully publishing their translations, rather than by receiving prizes. In this sense, they are pioneering a new literary era for Korean literature and translation alike. It is my hope that KLN will continue to serve as an open and welcoming platform for both established and emerging writers, and for experienced as well as novice translators. We aim at bringing you fresh—in deed, first—translations of Korean works that have never been published before. In this sense, all the works we publish are, in a broad sense, “debuting” in the English-speaking world.
I think you will be delighted by Spencer Lee-Lenfield’s translations of the poems of Shin Hae-uk, our featured writer, in this winter issue. Do take a close look at the special contributions by Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom, Pierre Bisiou, Jae Won Edward Chung, and Juhea Kim. We are honored to include them in this issue. In Bookmark, we are pleased to bring you fresh translations of fiction by Jeong Gi Hyun, a personal essay by Young-ha Kim, and poetry by Song Jaehak and Moon Tae Jun. No doubt you will recognize some of the names of the translators; do take note of the names you don’t. Please look over our reviews of recent translations as well; they will speak volumes about the breadth and richness of Korean literature today. Here’s wishing you a wonderful end of year—and happy reading!
Editor-in-Chief
