Lee Chang-dong and Pyun Hye-young Head to Tokyo for ‘Korea-Japan Writers Dialogue,’ Back After 24 Years

Beyond ideology, through stories: A new bond between Korean and Japanese literature

Leading writers and artists from South Korea and Japan will gather in Tokyo for an in-depth exchange centered on the theme of “literary reunion”.

Munhakgwa Jisungsa said Monday that it will hold the 2024 Korea-Japan Writers Dialogue from Dec. 3 to 5 at ROUTE BOOKS, a cultural complex in Tokyo. The event is co-hosted by South Korea’s Munhakgwa Jisungsa, major Japanese publishers Shueisha and Shogakukan, and the K-BOOK Promotion Society, which has championed the introduction of Korean books in Japan. The Literature Translation Institute of Korea and Japan’s Hitotsubashi Foundation are providing support.

The South Korean delegation features a prominent lineup spanning literature and film. Seven writers will attend, including novelists Lee Seung-woo and Pyun Hye-young, as well as Kim So-yeon, Kim Chae-won, Park Sol-moe, Woo Da-young and Lee Jang-wook. Four critics — So Yu-jeong, Lee So, Lee Hee-woo and Hong Seong-hee — will also attend. Acclaimed directors Lee Chang-dong and Kim Tae-yong are joining the event as well, with special screenings planned at a cinema in Tokyo’s Jimbocho district, broadening its scope.

Japan will be represented by some of its leading writers and artists. Participants include poet Masa Nakamura; novelists Natsuo Kirino, Ota Stephanie Kanto, Mariko Asabuki, Hitomi Kanehara and Emi Yagi; critics Takumi Fukuo and Kaho Miyake; and film directors Yukiko Mishima and Miwa Nishikawa.

The Dialogue marks the resumption of official meetings between writers from the two countries, 24 years after the Korea-Japan Writers Symposium was held six times between 1992 and 2002. While the earlier symposium addressed sweeping themes such as nationhood and national identity, this event has evolved into a dialogue focused on writers’ individual creative worlds and the essential value of literature.

The three-day event will feature 12 discussions on the role of literature in contemporary society. Topics include “Does a city need language?” and “Why do humans need stories?” One session drawing particular attention is “Why do we read about the suffering of others? — Focusing on Han Kang,” which will examine the work of the Nobel Prize-winning author.

The event came together last September after the K-BOOK Promotion Society arranged a meeting between Lee Kwang-ho, president of Munhakgwa Jisungsa, and Oga, president of Shogakukan. Lee said he hoped the event would move beyond grand ideological themes of the past, giving writers a chance to build genuine literary ties by sharing the small stories that matter to them.

The Korea-Japan Writers Dialogue, a symbol of literary exchange between the two countries, is set to continue in South Korea next year as part of a series, potentially marking a new milestone in lasting cultural ties.