▲ Han Kang, this year's laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature, attends a meeting with Korean reporters at a publishing house in Stockholm on Dec. 11, 2024. (Yonhap)

 

   SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korean novelist Han Kang, the first Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, expressed gratitude to the translators who have brought her works to readers worldwide.

 

   "I believe my works have been translated into 28 or 29 languages, and there are about 50 translators," she said during a meeting with Korean reporters in Stockholm on Wednesday (local time). "We are together in every sentence and in all sentences."

 

   She initially planned to thank the translators in her Nobel Prize acceptance speech but shortened it due to time constraints.

 

   "When I finished writing my acceptance speech, I realized it was about 10 minutes long. I didn't want to overstay my welcome, so I had to significantly cut it down," she said.

 

   The Nobel Foundation originally requested a two-minute speech and usually allows between four to five minutes, she explained.

 

   "Among the parts I had to cut was a heartfelt thank you to all the translators. So, I'm taking this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation."

 

   Han expressed hope for more Korean literature to reach foreign readers, saying "It's not good for the sake of awards, but it's good that (through translation) we can meet more readers."

 

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