Nobel Prize winner Han Kang's books fly off the shelves in South Korea

11/10/2024 16:14

        South Koreans flocked to book stores on Friday and crashed websites in a frenzy to snap up copies of the work of novelist Han Kang in her home country, after her unexpected win of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature.
        
        However, the author herself was keeping out of the limelight.
        
        The country's largest bookstore chain, Kyobo Book Centre, said sales of her books had rocketed on Friday, with stocks almost immediately selling out and set to be in short supply for the near future.
        
        "This is the first time a Korean has received a Nobel Prize in Literature, so I was amazed," said Yoon Ki-heon, a 32-year-old visitor at a bookstore in central Seoul.
        
        Soon after Thursday's announcement, some bookstore websites could not be accessed due to heavy traffic. Out of the current 10 best sellers at Kyobo, nine were Han's books on Friday morning.