Han Kang received the Nobel Prize medal and diploma from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden at the 2024 Nobel Prize ceremony, which was held at the Konserthuset (Concert Hall) in Stockholm.
The ceremony began with the arrival of the King, and Han was called up as the fourth laureate in the order of award presentations, following the winners of the Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Physiology or Medicine.
In the speech delivered before the awards ceremony, Swedish novelist Ellen Mattson, member of the Swedish Academy and member of the Nobel Committee for Literature, highlighted Han's works, stating, "She speaks about the indescribable cruelty and irreparable loss, ultimately seeking the truth."
After the ceremony, at the banquet, Han Kang delivered her acceptance speech, emphasizing the importance of literature: 'Reading and writing literature is inherently an act against everything that destroys life.” Also, “Even in the darkest night, language asks what we are made of, insists on imagining from the perspective of the people on this planet, and connects us to one another.”.
Han Kang is the 121st Nobel laureate in Literature and the 18th female recipient. Her win marks the second time a Korean has received a Nobel Prize, following former President Kim Dae-jung, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000. Han Kang is also the first Korean to step onto the symbolic "Blue Carpet" associated with the Nobel Prize.
Korea Post