From Han Kang’s Nobel Prize to K-POP’s Global Success: The Light and Shadows of Korean Culture

2024 was a year in which Korean culture achieved significant success on the world stage, yet it also faced various challenges within the industry. Behind the honors such as Nobel Prize wins and global musical successes lay industrial disputes and various incidents. The greatest achievement for Korean culture this year was writer Han Kang’s receipt of the Nobel Prize in Literature. On October 10, Han Kang became the first Asian woman to win the prize for her works that explore the impact of human violence on identity. The Swedish Academy highly praised her lyrical storytelling for “confronting historical trauma and revealing the vulnerability of human life.” This marked Korea’s second Nobel Prize, following former President Kim Dae-jung’s Nobel Peace Prize in 2000. Han Kang had previously won the International Booker Prize for *The Vegetarian* and has published other works that delve deeply into personal and historical suffering, such as *White Night* and *If We Never Part*. After winning the Nobel Prize, sales of Han Kang’s books exceeded one million copies within six days, injecting new vitality into Korea’s publishing industry. In her Nobel Prize acceptance speech in Stockholm, Han Kang emphasized the power of literature by saying, “There is a language that asks what we are made of even in the darkest nights, a language that allows us to imagine from the perspective of people and living beings on this planet, a language that connects us.” UNESCO also listed Korea’s “fermentation culture” as part of the 2024 Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Korea’s traditional fermentation culture, built over centuries through specific techniques, has gained worldwide recognition. In the K-POP sector, Rosé’s global success with “APT.” once again demonstrated Korea culture’s influence. The song reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest position ever achieved by a K-POP female artist, and as of the 25th, it had remained on the chart for nine consecutive weeks. However, behind these successes lay darker aspects of the industry. The conflict between HYBE and former ADOR CEO Minhee Rowoon escalated to the point of being addressed during parliamentary audits, shaking the entire K-POP industry. Legal issues involving idols also persisted, including a sexual assault case involving NCT Taeyong and a drunk driving incident involving BTS’s SUGA. Industry insiders noted that “as K-POP’s status rises, it is now more important than ever for stars and their agencies to remain vigilant.” Han Kang’s Nobel Prize win and K-POP’s global success highlight Korea culture’s growing influence, but they also indicate the need for efforts toward healthy development within the industry.