[Special Feature] Poet Lee Hye-seon Wins the 17th Korean Women’s Literary Award…Bringing the Vitality of Korean Women’s Literature to the World

Poet and literary critic Lee Hye-sun, who has long been a prominent presence in the fields of contemporary Korean poetry and literary criticism, has left another meaningful mark on the history of Korean literature by receiving the 17th Korean Women’s Literature Award.

[The Korean Today] Poet Lee Hye-sun receives congratulations on her award alongside Kim Ho-woon, Chairman of the Writers Association of Korea, and advisor Jung Young-ja. © Reporter Baek Chang-hee

The 16th Korean Women’s Literature Festival, hosted by the Busan Women Writers Association (Chairperson Kim Kyung-ja), was held on September 9 at the Suyeong-gu Community Cultural Center in Busan. At the event, poet Lee Hye-sun was selected as the recipient of the 17th Korean Women’s Literature Award, a nationwide literary honor. The award carries a prize of KRW 10 million.

The award is especially meaningful in that it recognizes Lee Hye-sun’s longstanding literary achievements and artistic activities. Since making her literary debut through the monthly magazine Poetry Literature in 1981, she has continued to pursue both poetry and literary criticism, contributing to the expansion of the horizons of Korean literature.

Five Women Writers Honored…Korean Women’s Literature Festival Held in Busan

At this year’s Korean Women’s Literature Festival, writers who have contributed to the development of Korean women’s literature and the promotion of literary creativity were honored with various awards.

[The Korean Today] Kim Ho-woon, Chairman of the Writers Association of Korea, delivers congratulatory remarks at the Korean Women’s Literature Festival. © Reporter Baek Chang-hee

Poet Lee Hye-sun received the 17th Korean Women’s Literature Award, the festival’s nationwide award. In the Busan category, poets Kim Hyang-ja and Lee Sook-rye received the Busan Women’s Literature Grand Prize; essayist Bang Soo-mi and poet Eom Hee-soon received the Busan Women Writers Award; and poet Kim Sook-ja received the Korean Poetry Recitation Award.

Prior to the awards ceremony, a literary seminar titled “The Coordinates of Busan Literature for the Revitalization of Regional Literature” was held at 4 p.m. on the fifth floor of the Suyeong-gu Community Cultural Center. The seminar provided an opportunity to explore the present and future of regional literature.

At the awards ceremony, which began at 5 p.m., Lee Hye-sun emphasized her literary responsibility in her acceptance speech.

Lee said, “Along with continuing my rigorous writing, I will work even harder to establish a literary history that highlights the vitality and distinctive strengths of Korean women’s literature.” Her remarks conveyed her determination to go beyond the personal significance of receiving the award and contribute to strengthening the history and identity of Korean women’s literature.

Kim Ho-woon, Chairman of the Writers Association of Korea: “The Influence of One Woman on Humanity Is Profound”

Kim Ho-woon, Chairman of the Writers Association of Korea, delivered congratulatory remarks reflecting on the influence of women and literature on society.

Kim said, “Whenever I write or go about my daily life, there is always one woman within me. That person is my mother.” He emphasized the profound influence that one woman can have not only on an individual, but also on a family, society, and ultimately humanity as a whole, as well as the value of women’s literature.

Professor Jung Young-ja, an advisor to the Busan Women Writers Association, looked back on the 33-year history of Busan women’s literature since the association’s establishment. She introduced the efforts and achievements made to build a creative foundation for women writers and expand their literary activities, drawing strong applause from those in attendance.

[The Korean Today] Advisor Jung Young-ja delivers congratulatory remarks at the Korean Women’s Literature Festival. © Reporter Baek Chang-hee

The ceremony concluded as a literary festival bringing literature and performing arts together, featuring the celebratory poetic drama Yun Dong-ju – The Man Who Became a Star, presented by the Mulsori Poetry Theater of the Busan Women Writers Association, followed by a choral performance.

Literary Debut in 1981…A Career Spanning Both Poetry and Criticism

Since making her literary debut through the monthly magazine Poetry Literature in 1981, Lee Hye-sun has pursued both creative writing and criticism as a poet and literary critic.

She has served in a number of major positions in Korea’s literary community, including Chairperson of the Korean Women Writers Association, Vice Chairman of the Writers Association of Korea, member of the Literature Promotion Policy Committee of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Vice Chairman of the Korean Contemporary Poets Association, Vice President of the Korean Literary Copyright Association, and adjunct professor at Dongguk University.

She currently serves as an advisor to the Korean Women Writers Association, an advisory member of the Writers Association of Korea and PEN Korea, and a poetry-writing professor at the Writers Association of Korea Education Institute, contributing to the development of Korean literature and the education of younger generations of writers.

Her poetry collections include Birdsong Delivery, Unmun Foil, Half the Wine Was Spilled, and How to Read Time, among others. She has also published a wide range of books, including the literary criticism collection Literature and the Transformation of Dreams, as well as the poetry criticism collections Lee Hye-sun’s Walk Through Great Poems and An Evening with Poetry, engaging readers not only through poetry but also through the interpretation and criticism of Korean poetry.

In particular, she contributed the column “Lee Hye-sun’s Poem of the Week” to Segye Ilbo for one year, helping make poetry more accessible to readers. The series was later published as the book Lee Hye-sun’s An Evening with Poetry and became a bestseller. She has continued to attract attention for her broad literary activities spanning both creative works and criticism.

[The Korean Today] Poet Lee Hye-sun receives the 17th Korean Women’s Literature Award, the festival’s highest nationwide honor, at the 16th Korean Women’s Literature Festival. © Reporter Baek Chang-hee

From the Sejong Excellent Book Selection to International Literary Honors…A Literary World Expanding Beyond Borders

Lee Hye-sun’s literary activities extend far beyond Korea’s literary community.

Following the selection of one of her works as a Sejong Excellent Book by the Arts Council Korea in 2016, she has received numerous literary and arts awards at home and abroad, including the Literary Asia Grand Prix Medal for Literature, India’s “Dream Raft Literary Award,” the Yun Dong-ju Literary Award, the Dunchon Lee Jip Literary Award, the Korean Federation of Arts and Culture Organizations Art and Culture Grand Prize, and the Critics Association Award for Literary Criticism.

She is also a member of the Distinguished Scholars Council of the International Academy of Ethics. Her poems have been translated and introduced in the languages of more than 20 countries, including Italy, Germany, Türkiye, Egypt, Greece, Belgium, Pakistan, Albania, Vietnam, Mexico, Russia, and countries across South America, contributing to the international expansion of Korean literature.

While rooted in the language and emotions of Korea, her works present a universal perspective on human life and existence, time, and nature. This has been regarded as one of the strengths that has enabled her poetry to resonate with readers and writers around the world.

Following the Korean Women’s Literature Award, Lee Hye-sun Also Receives the Gangdong Artist Grand Prize

The joy of receiving the Korean Women’s Literature Award continued the following day.

On September 10, Lee Hye-sun received the “Gangdong Artist Grand Prize,” presented by the Gangdong Federation of Artists (Chairman Kim Jong-soo), in recognition of the excellence of her works and her longstanding contributions to the arts.

[The Korean Today] Poet Lee Hye-sun, who received the Gangdong Artist Grand Prize following the Korean Women’s Literature Award. © Reporter Baek Chang-hee

Receiving major awards on two consecutive days is significant not merely as an individual achievement for one poet, but as renewed recognition of Lee Hye-sun’s longstanding contributions to Korean literature through poetry, criticism, literary organizations, education of younger writers, and international literary exchange.

One of the phrases Lee Hye-sun has long cherished is “隨處作主 立處皆眞” (Sucheo Jakju, Ipcheo Gaejin), meaning, “Wherever you are, be the master of yourself. Then wherever you stand, truth will reveal itself.” In much the same way, her literary journey has been a process of steadfastly documenting life and the times from wherever she has stood.

As a poet, Ph.D. in literature, and literary critic who has continued to pursue both creative writing and criticism, Lee Hye-sun is now expanding the reach of her literary world beyond the history of Korean literature and toward readers around the globe.

Busan Women Writers Association Marks 33 Years…Expanding the Creative Foundation for Women Writers

Meanwhile, the Busan Women Writers Association, founded in 1993 under its first president, Jung Young-ja, has spent the past 33 years supporting the creative activities of women writers while working to enhance their rights and literary standing.

The association has carried out a wide range of initiatives, including discovering and supporting women writers, publishing literary collections, establishing and presenting literary awards, operating literature courses, and staging poetic dramas, thereby helping broaden the foundations of both regional literature and women’s literature.

In particular, the Korean Women’s Literature Festival has established itself as a literary festival where women writers and readers can meet and communicate. Going beyond literary award ceremonies, it offers seminars discussing the direction of regional literature along with a variety of literary and artistic programs, including poetic dramas and choral performances.

[The Korean Today] Poet Lee Hye-sun shares her thoughts after receiving the award, reflecting on a 45-year literary journey spanning poetry and criticism since her 1981 debut through Poetry Literature. © Reporter Baek Chang-hee

In her acceptance speech for the 17th Korean Women’s Literature Award, Lee Hye-sun said, “Since the 1920s, senior women writers have steadfastly protected and developed their literary worlds despite harsh circumstances in which they were not recognized by society and were even subjected to jealousy and hostility from male writers. I will work to establish the history of women’s literature so that their spirit can be carried forward.” Her pledge is drawing attention to how it will continue to unfold through her poetry and criticism, as well as in a new chapter of Korean women’s literature.

 

[The Korean Today] QR code to explore books published by poet Lee Hye-sun