The 2025 Yonsei Nobel Week

Beyond Past and Present
— A Literature Festival Where the World Comes Together

2025 <Yonsei Nobel Week>marks the first anniversary of author Han Kang’s Nobel Prize win in Literature,
a global literary festival that opens new pathways of memory and solidarity through literature.

Under the theme “Can the Past Help the Present? - Memory and Solidarity,”
we explore in depth the timely questions and universal concerns raised by Han Kang’s literature.

Over five days, the festival presents a diverse program including literary exhibitions,
special lectures by Yonsei-affiliated writers, international writing contest and symposium, academic conference, and translation conference.
Participants from Korea and abroad will share a distinctive experience of connecting past and present,
individual and society, and local and global communities through literature.

2025 <Yonsei Nobel Week> will be
a platform that opens new avenues of memory and solidarity through literary thought and imagination.

2025 <Yonsei Nobel Week> Event Overall Schedule

Day 1
Dec. 1(Mon)		 Day 2
Dec. 3(Wed)		 Day 3
Dec. 4(Thu)		 Day 4
Dec. 5(Fri)		 Day 5
Dec. 11(Thu)
AM Title 1. Opening of Special Exhibition Celebrating and Grand Unveiling of the Han Kang Poetry Plaque
2. Yonsei Culture Award Ceremony 		The 1st Yonsei International Writing Contest Awards Ceremony Commemorating the 1st Anniversary of Han Kang’s Nobel Prize in Literature “In Search of the Next Generation’s Han Kang” The Literary World of Han Kang and Its Translation Conference Pt.1
- The Literary World of Han Kang and 'Memory & Solidarity'
Time 10:00~12:00 9:00~11:40 9:00~12:00
Venue Yoon Dongju Literature Hill/
Yoon Dongju Memorial Museum (Pinson Hall)/
Underwood Hall Conference Room		 Grand Ballroom, Baekyang Nuri, Yonsei University
(Hybrid: On-site & Online)		 Centennial Hall, College of Liberal Arts, Yonsei University
PM Title Yonsei Distinguished Writers Lecture Series International Symposium "Can the Past Help the Present? Memory and Solidarity" Academic Symposium Commemorating the Publication of Yoon Dongju: The Biography The Literary World of Han Kang and Its Translation Conference Pt.2
- The Role of Translation in the Reception of Han Kang Literature in the West
Time 14:00~17:00 13:00~18:10 13:00~18:00 13:30~17:30
Venue Centennial Hall, College of Liberal Arts, Yonsei University Grand Ballroom, Baekyang Nuri, Yonsei University
(Hybrid: On-site & Online)		 Centennial Hall, College of Liberal Arts, Yonsei University Centennial Hall, College of Liberal Arts, Yonsei University
  • Day 1 - Dec. 1(Mon)
    • AM
      • Title :
        1. Opening of Special Exhibition Celebrating and Grand Unveiling of the Han Kang Poetry Plaque
        2. Yonsei Culture Award Ceremony
      • Time : 10:00~12:00
      • Venue : Yoon Dongju Literature Hill/ Yoon Dongju Memorial Museum (Pinson Hall)/ Underwood Hall Conference Room
  • Day 2 - Dec. 3(Wed)
    • PM
      • Title : Yonsei Distinguished Writers Lecture Series
      • Time : 14:00~17:00
      • Venue : Centennial Hall, College of Liberal Arts, Yonsei University
  • Day 3 - Dec. 4(Thu)
    • AM
      • Title : The 1st Yonsei International Writing Contest Awards Ceremony Commemorating the 1st Anniversary of Han Kang’s Nobel Prize in Literature “In Search of the Next Generation’s Han Kang”
      • Time : 9:00~11:40
      • Venue : Grand Ballroom, Baekyang Nuri, Yonsei University
        (Hybrid: On-site & Online)
    • PM
      • Title : International Symposium "Can the Past Help the Present? Memory and Solidarity"
      • Time : 13:00~18:10
      • Venue : Grand Ballroom, Baekyang Nuri, Yonsei University
        (Hybrid: On-site & Online)
  • Day 4 - Dec. 5(Fri)
    • PM
      • Title : Academic Symposium Commemorating the Publication of Yoon Dongju: The Biography
      • Time : 13:00~18:00
      • Venue : Centennial Hall, College of Liberal Arts, Yonsei University
  • Day 5 - Dec. 11(Thu)
    • AM
      • Title : The Literary World of Han Kang and Its Translation Conference Pt.1
        - The Literary World of Han Kang and 'Memory & Solidarity'
      • Time : 9:00~12:00
      • Venue : Centennial Hall, College of Liberal Arts, Yonsei University
    • PM
      • 내용 : The Literary World of Han Kang and Its Translation Conference Pt.2
        - The Role of Translation in the Reception of Han Kang Literature in the West
      • Time : 13:30~17:30
      • Venue : Centennial Hall, College of Liberal Arts, Yonsei University

2025 <Yonsei Nobel Week> Daily Schedule

  • Day 1
    Opening of Special Exhibition Celebrating and and Grand Unveiling of the Han Kang Poetry Plaque

    • Dec. 1, 2025 (Mon) 10:00AM~11:00AM

    • Yoon Dongju Memorial Museum (Pinson Hall), Yoon Dongju Literature Hill

    more
  • Day 1
    Yonsei Culture Award Ceremony

    • Dec. 1, 2025 (Mon) 11:00AM

    • Underwood Hall, Conference Hall, Yonsei University

    more
  • Day 2
    Yonsei Distinguished Writers Lecture Series

    • Dec 3, 2025 (Wed) 14:00PM ~ 17:00PM *17:00PM~ Banquet

    • Centennial Hall, College of Liberal Arts, Yonsei University

    more
  • Day 3
    The 1st Yonsei International Writing Contest Awards Ceremony Commemorating the 1st Anniversary of Han Kang’s Nobel Prize in Literature “In Search of the Next Generation’s Han Kang”

    • Dec 4, 2025 (Thu) 9:00AM ~ 11:40AM

    • Grand Ballroom, Baekyang Nuri, Yonsei University (Hybrid: On-site & Online)

    more
  • Day 3
    International Symposium: Celebrating the First Anniversary of Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature

    • Dec 4, 2025 (Thu) 13:00PM~18:10PM

    • Grand Ballroom, Baekyang Nuri, Yonsei University (Hybrid: On-site & Online)

    more
  • Day 4
    Academic Symposium Commemorating the Publication of Yoon Dongju: The Biography

    • Dec 5, 2025 (Fri) 13:00PM ~ 18:00PM

    • Centennial Hall, College of Liberal Arts, Yonsei University

    more
  • Day 5
    Conference: The Literary World of Han Kang and Its Translation

    • Dec 11. 2025 (Thu) 9:00AM ~ 17:30PM

    • Centennial Hall, College of Liberal Arts, Yonsei University

    more
Day 1

Opening of Special Exhibition Celebrating and and Grand Unveiling of the Han Kang Poetry Plaque

  • Date & Time

    Dec. 1, 2025 (Mon) 10:00AM~11:00AM

  • Venue

    Yoon Dongju Memorial Museum (Pinson Hall), Yoon Dongju Literature Hill

  • Host

    Yonsei University

  • Participants

    Distinguished guests, literary scholars, writers, students, and the general public

  • Exhibition Highlights

    Featuring Han Kang's poems including 「Evening Sketch 5」, 「Goes the Summer Days」 in bronze engravings

Exhibition Details

Han Kang & Yonsei

- rchives from Dongju Literature Society, The Yonsei Chunchu(student newspaper) etc.

Memory & Solidarity

- An Exhibition designed to understand Han Kang's literary universe (focusing on "Memory & solidarity")
- Excerpts from Han Kang's works & related photographs
- Screening of original short films inspired by Han Kang's works (collaboration with related departments at Yonsei)

Day 1

Yonsei Culture Award Ceremony

  • Date & Time

    Dec. 1, 2025 (Mon) 11:00AM

  • Venue

    Underwood Hall, Conference Hall, Yonsei University

Day 2

Yonsei Distinguished Writers Lecture Series

  • Date & Time

    Dec 3, 2025 (Wed) 14:00PM ~ 17:00PM *17:00PM~ Banquet

  • Venue

    Centennial Hall, College of Liberal Arts, Yonsei University

  • Host

    Yonsei University

  • Participants

    Literary scholars, writers, students, and the general public

Theme

The Past and Present of Yonsei Literature

Program Schedule

  • 14:00~14:50
    • Special Lecture : <The Tradition and Legacy of Yonsei Literature>(working title)
    • Speaker : Poet Chong Hyonjong
    • MC: Lee Wonjee
  • 14:50~15:00

    Break

  • 15:00~17:00
    • Remarks by 2025 Yonsei Culture Award Winner
      1. Alumni Writers’ Roundtable : <Yonsei Literature and the Present of Korean Literature>(working title)
      2. Special Lecture & Roundtable Panel : Writers Chung Bora, Kim Yudam, Jeong Gihyun
    • Moderator: Critic Yang Soonmo
      *Format: Lectures + Open Discussion
Day 3

The 1st Yonsei International Writing Contest Awards Ceremony Commemorating the 1st Anniversary of Han Kang’s Nobel Prize in Literature “In Search of the Next Generation’s Han Kang”

  • Date & Time

    Dec 4, 2025 (Thu) 9:00AM ~ 11:40AM

  • Venue

    Grand Ballroom, Baekyang Nuri, Yonsei University (Hybrid: On-site & Online)

  • Host

    Yonsei University, Yonsei Nobel Week Organizing Committee

  • Partners

    Yonsei Korean Language Institute, Underwood International College, Global Leaders College, Concordia Korean Language Village Sup sogŭi Hosu

  • Sponsor

    Monami, Institute of Humanities at Yonsei University

  • Participants

    Distinguished guests, literary scholars, students, youth, and young adults

  • Languages

    Simultaneous interpretation in Kor/Eng provided

Theme

“Can the Past Help the Present? - Memory & Solidarity”

Program Format

Participants : Youth and young adults (Domestic/International)
Categories : Korean Essay(Domestic/International), Book Review on Han Kang 's Works(Domestic/International), Short-form Video(Domestic & International combined)
Operation : Call for submissions through the official website(https://nobelweek.yonsei.ac.kr/). On the event day, screening of submitted videos, announcement of winners, and the award ceremony will be held both on-site and online.

Awards Ceremony & Prize Details

Total 41 awardees / Total Prize Amount: KRW 20,500,000

Grand Prize(Integration) : 1 Winner(KRW 3,000,000)

<Essay>
Domestic Excellence Award 1 Winner(KRW 1 million each) / Merit Award 2 Winners(KRW 500,000 each) / Honorable Mention 5 Winners(KRW 300,000 each)
Overseas Excellence Award 1 Winner(KRW 1 million each / Merit Award 2 Winners(KRW 500,000 each) / Honorable Mention 5 Winners(KRW 300,000 each)

<Book review>
Domestic Excellence Award 1 Winner(KRW 1 million each) / Merit Award 2 Winners(KRW 500,000 each) / Honorable Mention 5 Winners(KRW 300,000 each)
Overseas Excellence Award 1 Winner(KRW 1 million each) / Merit Award 2 Winners(KRW 500,000 each) / Honorable Mention 5 Winners(KRW 300,000 each)

<Short-Form Video>
Excellence Award 1 Winner(KRW 1 million each) / Merit Award 2 Winners(KRW 500,000 each) / Honorable Mention 5 Winners(KRW 300,000 each)

* <Group Award> ㈜MONAMI KRW 4,000,000 Prizes worth

Program Schedule

  • 09:00~09:50
    • Registration
  • 09:50–10:10

    Opening Ceremony / Opening Remarks

  • 10:10–10:50

    Award Ceremony: Judge's report / Ceremony

  • 10:50–11:00

    Photo

  • 11:00–11:10

    Acceptance Speech - Screening

  • 11:10–11:25

    Screening of Awarded Short-form videos

  • 11:25–11:35

    Reading of Awarded Works - Screening

  • 11:35–11:40

    Closing Ceremony

Day 3

International Symposium: Celebrating the First Anniversary of Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature

  • Date & Time

    Dec 4, 2025 (Thu) 13:00PM~18:10PM

  • Venue

    Grand Ballroom, Baekyang Nuri, Yonsei University (Hybrid: On-site & Online)

  • Host

    Yonsei University, Yonsei Nobel Week Organizing Committee

  • Participants

    Distinguished guests, writers, literary & publishing community members, students, and the general public

  • Languages

    Simultaneous interpretation in Kor/Eng provided

Theme

“Can the Past Help the Present? - Memory & Solidarity”

Program Purpose

Yonsei University is pleased to host a special international symposium in December 2025, commemorating Han Kang’s 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature.
This event has been organized to address the profound questions evoked by Han Kang’s literary world, which speak to the essence of human experience.
We hope that the Nobel Prize will serve not only as an individual or national honor, but as a bridge toward deeper reflection on universal human concerns and the possibility of solidarity.

As is well known, through works such as The Vegetarian and Human Acts, Han Kang has persistently explored the depths of painful memory, both individual and collective.
In doing so, she has continued to pursue the possibility of healing and recovery.
This symposium is organized around the fundamental question: “Can the Past Help the Present? — Memory and Solidarity.”
Together, we hope to reflect on how we might confront the deep wounds of personal and historical trauma.
We also hope to consider how, in living with those wounds, we might come to newly envision the "I" and the "we."

In this spirit, Yonsei University respectfully invites you, whose work has passionately and sensitively explored these questions while expanding the horizons of world literature, to join us in this meaningful gathering.
Framed by the timely and pressing theme of "Memory and Solidarity," this symposium will engage us in a shared inquiry into the possibility of deep connection.
Such connection is opened up only through literature, allowing us to reach one another across the divides of pain and memory.
We believe this gathering will become a treasured memory and the beginning of a new solidarity.

Program Schedule

  • 13:00–13:30
    • Registration
  • 13:30–14:00
    • Opening Ceremony
  • 14:00–14:50
    • Keynote Address 1: Speaker - Kamel Daoud
  • 14:50–15:00
    • Break
  • 15:00–15:50
    • Keynote Address 2: Speaker - Naja Marie Aidt
  • 15:50–16:00
    • Break
  • 16:00–16:50
    • Keynote Address 3: Speaker - Wai Yee CHAN
  • 16:50–17:00
    • Break
  • 17:00–17:50
    • Round Table
    • Moderator : Joo Ill-Sun(Yonsei Univ.)
  • 17:50–18:10
    • Closing Ceremony & Photo

Poster

Day 4

Academic Symposium Commemorating the Publication of Yoon Dongju: The Biography

  • Date & Time

    Dec 5, 2025 (Fri) 13:00PM ~ 18:00PM

  • Venue

    Centennial Hall, College of Liberal Arts, Yonsei University

  • Host

    Yoon Dongju Memorial Association (Yonsei University), Rutgers University Press(US), College of Liberal Arts (Yonsei University), BK21 Project Group (Dept. of Korean Language & Literature, Yonsei University), Institute of Korean Studies (Yonsei), Education and Research Group for Innovative and Diverse Talent Development (Dept. of Comparative Literature, Dept. of Cognitive Science, & Dept. of Linguistics and Informatics)

Theme

Commemorating the 80th Memorial of Poet Yoon Dongju & the 1st Memorial of Song Woohye

Program Schedule

    • Part I: Publication Celebration
    • Moderator: Han-Saem Kim
  • 13:00~13:05
    • Opening Remarks
    • Director, Institute of Korean Studies
  • 13:05~13:10
    • Prayer
    • Chief Chaplain
  • 13:10~13:15
    • Welcome Address
    • Dean, College of Liberal Arts
  • 13:15~13:20
    • Congratulatory Remarks
    • Vice President for Academic Affairs
  • 13:20~13:30
    • Report on the Publication Process of Yoon Dongju: The Biography
    • Rutgers University Press
    • Part II: Lectures
    • Moderator: Chul-hwan Jang
  • 13:30~14:10
    • Lecture 1
    • Korea: Kang-seok Cho
  • 14:10~14:50
    • Lecture 2
    • Korea: Shin-jung Kim
  • 14:50~15:00
    • Break
  • 15:00~16:00
    • Lecture 3
    • Japan: Naoki Mizuno, Kyoto University
  • 16:00~16:40
    • Lecture 4
    • U.S.: Youngmi Yoo / Jae Won Edward Chung, Rutgers University
  • 16:40~16:50
    • Break
    • Part III: Conversation
    • Moderator: Ji-young Shin
  • 16:50~17:55
    • Discussion
    • Lecturer
  • 17:55~18:00
    • Closing Remarks
    • Director, BK Research Division, Dept. of Korean Language & Literature
Day 5

Conference: The Literary World of Han Kang and Its Translation

  • Date & Time

    Dec 11. 2025 (Thu) 9:00AM ~ 17:30PM

  • Venue

    Centennial Hall, College of Liberal Arts, Yonsei University

  • Host

    Yonsei Nobel Week Organizing Committee

  • Host

    Yonsei Institute of Translation and Culture, Yonsei Institute of European Society and Culture, Yonsei Institute of Humanities

  • Participants

    Literary scholars, writers, students, and the general public

Theme

The Literary World of Han Kang and Its Translation
(Part 1) The Literary World of Han Kang and ‘Memory & Solidarity’
(Part 2) The Role of Translation in the Reception of Han Kang's Literature in the West

Program Schedule

    • Part 1: The Literary World of Han Kang and 'Memory & Solidarity'
  • 09:00~09:10
    • Registration
  • 09:10~09:20
    • Opening Remarks Professor Kangsok Cho
    • Welcome: Executive Vice President, Sohn Young-Jong
    • Moderator: Professor Kim Seongyeun
  • 09:20~09:50
    • Keynote Speech: Professor Emeritus Myeong Kyo Jeong
    • “The Literary Word of Han Kang”
  • 09:50~10:20
    • Presentation 1: Distinguished Professor Paik Wondam
    • “Reading Non-violence and Peace through Han Kang's Literature”
  • 10:20~10:50
    • Presentation 2 Professor Park Guyong
    • “Memory and Healing in Han Kang's Literature”
  • 10:50~11:00
    • Break
  • 11:00~12:00
    • Roundtable Discussion
    • Moderator: Professor Yoojin Soh
  • 12:00~13:30
    • Lunch
    • Part 2: The Role of Translation in the Reception of Han Kang Literature in the West
  • 13:30~14:00
    • Opening Remarks
    • Yoo Hyunjoo(Director, Yonsei Institute of Translation & Culture)
  • 14:00~14:30
    • Keynote Speech: The Process and Challenges of Translating and Introducing Korean Literature – Focusing on Han Kang's Works
    • Speaker: Kwak Hyohwan(Former Pres. of Literature Translation Institute of Korea)
    • [Session 1] Moderator: Yoo Hyunjoo (Director, Yonsei Institute of Translation & Culture)
  • 14:30~15:10
    • Presentation 1: Reception & Translation in English
      "A Transparent Bridge Between Memories –The Reception and Translation of Han Kang's Novels to English speakers"
    • Speaker: Kim Jihee(Interdisciplinary Program in Comparative Literature, Yonsei University)
  • 15:10~15:50
    • Presentation 2: Reception & Translation in German
      "Cultural Contexts and Translation Issues of Han Kang's Weiß"
    • Speaker: Lee Haneul(Department of German Language and Literature, Yonsei University)
  • 15:50~16:00
    • Break
    • [Session 2] Moderator: Yoo Yaejin (Director, Yonsei Institute of European Society & Culture)
  • 16:00~16:40
    • Presentation 3: Reception & Translation in French
      French Translations of Han Kang's Works: four-handed translation
    • Speaker: Choi Mikyung(Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation, Ewha Womans University)
  • 16:40~17:20
    • Presentation 4: Reception & Translation in Russian
      Korean Literature in Russia: On the Reception and Translation of Han Kang's Works
    • Speaker: Kang Sookyung(Institute of Humanities, Busan National Universtiy)
  • 17:20~17:30
    • Closing Remarks
    • Kim Janghwan (Dean of the College of Liberal Arts)