The Korea Times has announced the winners of its 57th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards, a prestigious event recognizing excellence in the translation of Korean literature. Breanna Hundley from the United States received the Grand Prize in fiction for her translation of Cho Ye-eun's novel "How to Get Your Deposit Back," awarded by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
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Jude Vandervort, also from the U.S., won a Commendation Award for his translation of Jeong Ji-a's novel "Bead by Bead."
In poetry, two Commendation Awards were presented: Noh Hye-yeon for her translation of Lee Su-myeong's poems, including "To Unfold a Bird," and Park Se-yeon for her work on poems by An Hee-yeon, notably "There Was a Fire." No Grand Prize was awarded in poetry this year, as the jury deemed the submissions less strong than those in fiction.
The Kevin O’Rourke Prize, jointly presented with the Embassy of Ireland in Korea, was awarded to Ku Bon-seung from the U.S. for his translation of Danyao’s "Giraffe Is the Name of the World." This prize honors the late Kevin O’Rourke, an esteemed translator of Korean literature.
The award ceremony is set for November 10 at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, with sponsorship from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and KB Financial Group. The Korea Times encourages submissions for next year's competition, reflecting the growing international interest in Korean literature.