'It didn't feel real': Author Han Kang makes first public speech since winning Nobel Prize

Newly crowned Nobel laureate Han Kang said the past week will be remembered as "a special one" on Thursday.

Author Han Kang gives a speech after receiving the Pony Chung Innovation Award in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Thursday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Newly crowned Nobel laureate Han Kang said the past week will be remembered as "a special one" on Thursday.

Making her first public appearance since receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature on Oct. 10, author Han attended the Pony Chung Foundation’s awards ceremony to accept the Pony Chung Innovation Award, which she was scheduled to do before her Nobel win announcement was made.

"When I received the news from the Nobel Committee, truthfully, it didn't feel real, so I simply tried to have a calm conversation. But when I hung up the phone and checked the news, that is when reality kicked in," she said during her acceptance speech at Pony Chung Hall in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. "It was such a joyous and grateful occasion and [I] quietly celebrated it."

About the intense national attention on her since, she said, "There were some people who were worried about the peace in my personal life, but I trust and hope that my days will not change too much from the past.

"I am a person who connects with the world through what I write, so I hope to continue writing, as I have been doing, and meet readers through my books."

Author Han Kang gives a speech after receiving the Pony Chung Innovation Award in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Thursday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Han briefly shared her passion for writing as well. She barely drinks alcohol and recently quit caffeine. "But in this quietude, my favorite thing to do is to think about the books I want to write," she said.

"I value the process of imagining the outlines of a yet-to-be-written book, writing a little with what comes into my mind, erasing just as much as I've written and making efforts to get to know my characters through various ways.

"When you start writing a novel, you inevitably get lost, or you surprise yourself when you turn a corner and find yourself in an unexpected place, but the joy is great when you take a long detour and finally move toward the end. I published my first novel in January 1994, so this year marks exactly 30 years that I've been writing this way."

Han is currently working on a new book that she started in the spring of this year and hopes to finish it by the second half of 2025. "But whenever [authors] predict the date of release, we always get it wrong, so I can't be sure," she said.

She plans to write three more books over the next six years.

"In about a month, I'll be 54 years old. If conventional wisdom holds that a writer's golden age is usually between 50 and 60, that means I have six years left. Of course, there are writers who stay active into their 70s and 80s, but that's a lucky thing in many ways. So for now, for the next six years, I want to focus on writing the three books that are in my mind right now."

Han is set to give her official Nobel speech on Dec. 10 in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Pony Chung Foundation was established in 2005 to celebrate Chung Se-yung's (1928-2005) achievements. Chung developed Korea’s first locally made automobile, Hyundai's Pony, in the 1970s.

The Pony Chung Innovation Award honors Chung's philosophy on innovation and celebrates his pioneering spirit. It is designed to promote positive changes and growth in Korean society by recognizing some of the country's greatest innovators.

Han is the 18th recipient of the award. Previous awardees have included UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics gold medalist Kim Yuna and pianist Cho Seong-jin. The winner is granted 100 million won in prize money ($73,000) and a plaque.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]