Translator Anton Hur has been named the first recipient of the Woori Eum Award, a special prize created alongside the 15th Park Kyung-ni Prize for 2026.
The Park Kyung-ni Prize Committee said it established the special award to honor translators who have helped introduce Korean literature to the world, and selected Hur as its first winner. Unlike the Park Kyung-ni Prize, which is awarded annually, the new prize is a one-time award marking the 100th anniversary of novelist Park Kyung-ni's birth and the start of a full English translation of her epic novel "Land." The prize carries 10 million won.
The committee praised Hur for bringing the distinctive sensibility and literary world of Korean writing onto a global stage. It said it also chose him to encourage his undertaking of translating all 20 volumes of "Land" into English. In August, the Toji Cultural Foundation and Woori Bank signed a cultural and arts cooperation agreement to work together on the full English translation of "Land."
Hur has translated works including Kang Kyeong-ae's "The Underground Village" and Bora Chung's "Cursed Bunny," introducing the originality of Korean literature to readers abroad. "Cursed Bunny" was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2022 and was a finalist for the National Book Award in translated literature in 2023.
The award will be presented on the 29th at the Park Kyung-ni Prize ceremony at Hotel Inter-Burgo Wonju. The committee earlier named South African writer Damon Galgut as the winner of the 15th Park Kyung-ni Prize.
