Korean Literature Review Contest invites readers to submit book reviews

The Korean Literature Review Contest, hosted by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea), invites passionate readers from all around the world to share their reviews of Korean books.

Review submissions in English, Chinese, Indonesian, Arabic or Spanish are being received from Monday until Sept. 30.

The annual contest which began in 2021 is open to non-Korean nationals aged 14 and above. Participants are encouraged to review the five selected books via written book reports, drawings or videos.

To participate, individuals need to upload their entries to their social media accounts and provide relevant information on LTI Korea’s contest website. Multiple entries are allowed but only one entry can receive an award.

Three grand prize winners regardless of language or category will be awarded with a trip to Korea in early November, including a round-trip flight, accommodation and access to special programs jointly organized by the Korean Culture and Information Service's international content competition, "Talk Talk Korea." The winners will be announced on Oct. 24.

Additionally, a total of 120 winners from different languages and categories will receive prizes such as a Samsung Galaxy Tablet, an E-book reader and a $50 Amazon gift card.

Detailed information about the contest can be found on the official website. Interviews with the selected authors discussing their works are available on LTI Korea’s YouTube channel.

For the purpose of the contest, only individual creations without the assistance of AI are eligible for submission. Winning entries may be checked for plagiarism, LTI Korea noted.

The five selected books are: Cheon Myeong-kwan “Whale,” Kim Cho-yeop’s “If We Cannot Move at the Speed of Light,” Chung Se-rang’s “The School Nurse Files,” Kim Hye-jin’s “Concerning My Daughter” and poet Kim Seung-hee’s “Hope is Lonely.”

These books have garnered global recognition through international awards, screen adaptations and positive reception at literary festivals, LTI Korea said.

Novelist and director Cheon’s “Whale” was shortlisted for this year’s International Booker Prize. The epic adventure-satire depicting human desire, achievement and downfall following the lives of three women has been praised as “shedding a new light on the changes Korea experienced in its rapid transition from pre-modern to post-modern society," according to the Booker Prize.

“If We Cannot Move at the Speed of Light” won the gold prize at China’s Xingyun Awards for translated Chinese science fiction by the World Chinese Science Fiction Association in May. The short story collection explores genetic engineering, space travel, frozen humans and artificial intelligence in Kim’s unique imagination.

Chung's"The School Nurse Files" has been adapted into a Netflix series starring Jung Yu-mi and Nam Joo-hyuk. The fantasy comedy centers around a school nurse who has the power to see human desires and feelings.

"Concerning My Daughter" was nominated for the 2022 Emile Guimet Prize for Asian literature in France, and has been published in several European countries. The book focuses on a widowed, aging mother and her daughter who comes out as homosexual.

Poet Kim’s "Hope is Lonely" has attracted significant attention in the Arabic-speaking world, with frequent invitations to literary festivals and book fairs. The poet focuses on the themes of death, hope, depression and love through the lens of womanhood.