Han Kang: From blacklist to Nobel laureate

With writer Han Kang making history by winning the Nobel Prize in literature, another list she was on several years ago has resurfaced in the spotlight: the blacklist of the previous conservative Park Geun-hye government.

During a national audit session Thursday, Rep. Kang Yoo-jung of the Democratic Party of Korea, a former literary critic, said that while everyone, regardless of party affiliation, was clapping and celebrating the news, she felt there was something important to say: "Today’s Nobel laureate, Han Kang, was categorized as a blacklisted author during the Park Geun-hye administration."

Kang was referring to the Park administration's cultural blacklist, which was created to exclude cultural and artistic figures or organizations that were critical of the administration or had differing views from receiving governmental support.

Park became president in February 2013, but was impeached in March 2017 due to a corruption scandal involving her close confidant Choi Sun-sil, which led to accusations of abuse of power and bribery.

Rep. Kang noted that "after writing ‘Human Acts,’ the story of the boys who tragically lost their lives during the May 18 Democracy Movement, Han Kang was overtly excluded from all kinds of support and placed on the blacklist."

In the final round of evaluations for a government book selection project, “Human Acts” was disqualified as a result of a review concerning the book's ideological bias.

Upon learning of her inclusion on the blacklist, Han remarked during a lecture on Dec. 13, 2016, “It pains my heart to know that the issues surrounding the May 18th incident remain unresolved.”

In addition, an investigation by a special prosecutorial team discovered that the former president had rejected a suggestion to send a congratulatory message to Han when she was recognized with the International Booker Prize for her landmark novel “The Vegetarian” in 2016.

“The Vegetarian” was among the 2,528 books discarded from school libraries in Gyeonggi Province last year under the label of "inappropriate sex education materials for teenagers," according to former Democratic Party lawmaker Kang Min-jung in May.

Rep. Kang Yoo-jung then emphasized that "culture is an area that should not be recklessly interfered with by administration and politics. There should be no labels attached to national budgets or national heritage."

"Our music, film and literature are gaining international recognition. Politics should do its job from its place, providing support but not interference,” she added.

Meanwhile, some have taken to referring to the blacklist as a "world-class list," noting that Bong Joon-ho, the director of the Oscar-winning “Parasite,” which won for best picture, best director and best original screenplay, had also been included.