The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in collaboration with the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea, on Nov. 3 announced the nine winners of this year’s Korea Picture Book Awards. Shown is Kim Ji-won’s “Raising Earthworms,” which earned the grand prize for nonfiction, at Kyobo Book Centre in Seoul’s Jongno-gu District. (Park Dae Jin)
By Margareth Theresia
This year’s Korea Picture Book Awards has nine winners, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea, the contest’s two organizers, said on Nov. 3.
The top honor in the fiction category went to Jeon Mi-hwa’s “To the Fish in the Sea, to the Birds in the Sky, to the Animals in the Forest and to Humans” (Borim Press). The plot delves into the relationship between humans and wildlife, illuminating the importance of a world in which all organisms coexist.
The nonfiction category went to Kim Ji-won’s “Raising Earthworms” (RH Korea), which uses earthworms to explore the cycles of nature and the value of life in promoting living in harmony with nature.
Now in its fourth year, the awards received 506 submissions. After evaluations by a panel of experts, nine winners were selected: one grand prize each in fiction and nonfiction, six special honors and one newcomer accolade. Each of the two grand prize winners gets the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award and a cash prize of KRW 15 million.
Government efforts to promote the winning works overseas include the Integrated Publishing Export Platform (K-Book), the official digital B2B marketplace and archive designed to support the global expansion of Korean literature and publishing content (https://k-book.or.kr/home/eng/main.do), and the English-language webzine K-Book Trends, while also supporting sample translations and creation of book reviews.
Such books are also displayed at major events abroad like the Bologna Children’s Book Fair of Italy and Korean Cultural Centers overseas conduct promotional activities for them.
Launched in 2023, the awards seek to discover and develop outstanding picture books in the country and promote their sustainable growth and expansion to global markets.
margareth@korea.kr
