Poet and literary critic Lee Hye-seon, who has long been at the forefront of contemporary Korean poetry and literary criticism, has added another meaningful milestone to the history of Korean women’s literature by receiving the 17th Korean Women’s Literary Award.
 [The Korean Today] Poet Lee Hye-seon receives congratulations on her award alongside Kim Ho-woon, Chairman of the Korean Writers Association, and advisor Jung Young-ja. © Reporter Baek Chang-hee |
The 16th Korean Women’s Literature Festival, hosted by the Busan Women Writers Association (Chairperson Kim Kyung-ja), was held on September 9 at the Suyeong-gu Community Cultural Center in Busan. At the event, poet Lee Hye-seon was selected as the recipient of the 17th Korean Women’s Literary Award, a nationwide literary honor. The award carries a prize of KRW 10 million.
The award is particularly meaningful as it recognizes Lee Hye-seon’s long-standing literary achievements and artistic contributions since making her literary debut through the monthly magazine Poetry Literature in 1981. Over the decades, she has expanded the horizons of Korean literature through both poetry and literary criticism.
Five Women Writers Honored at the Korean Women’s Literature Festival in Busan
At this year’s Korean Women’s Literature Festival, writers who have contributed to the advancement of Korean women’s literature and the revitalization of literary creation were honored with various awards.
 [The Korean Today] Kim Ho-woon, Chairman of the Korean Writers Association, delivers congratulatory remarks at the 17th Korean Women’s Literature Festival. © Reporter Baek Chang-hee |
Poet Lee Hye-seon received the 17th Korean Women’s Literary Award, the festival’s nationwide honor. In the Busan category, poets Kim Hyang-ja and Lee Sook-rye received the Busan Women’s Literature Grand Prize, essayist Bang Su-mi and poet Eom Hee-soon received the Busan Women Writers Award, and poet Kim Sook-ja received the Korean Poetry Recitation Award.
Prior to the main awards ceremony, a literary seminar titled “The Coordinates of Busan Literature for the Revitalization of Regional Literature” was held at 4 p.m. on the fifth floor of the Suyeong-gu Community Cultural Center, providing an opportunity to explore the present and future of regional literature.
At the awards ceremony, which began at 5 p.m., Lee Hye-seon emphasized her literary responsibility in her acceptance speech.
Lee said, “Along with continuing my rigorous writing, I will work even harder to establish a literary history that preserves the vitality and distinctive strengths of Korean women’s literature.” She expressed her determination to go beyond the significance of an individual award and contribute to strengthening the history and identity of Korean women’s literature.
Kim Ho-woon, Chairman of the Korean Writers Association: “The influence of one woman on human life is profound”
In his congratulatory remarks, Kim Ho-woon, Chairman of the Korean Writers Association, spoke about the profound influence of women and literature on society.
Kim said, “At every moment when I write or simply live my life, there is one woman within me. That woman is my mother.” He emphasized the profound influence a single woman can have not only on an individual but also on a family, society, and ultimately all of humanity, as well as the importance and value of women’s literature.
Professor Jung Young-ja, an advisor to the Busan Women Writers Association, reflected on the 33-year history of Busan women’s literature since the association’s founding. In particular, she introduced the efforts and achievements made to establish a creative foundation for women writers and expand their literary activities, drawing enthusiastic applause from attendees.
 [The Korean Today] At the 17th Korean Women’s Literature Festival, advisor Jung Young-ja delivers congratulatory remarks. © Reporter Baek Chang-hee |
The awards ceremony concluded as a literary festival blending literature and the performing arts, featuring the celebratory poetic drama “Yun Dong-ju — The Man Who Became a Star,” performed by the Mulsori Poetry Theater Company of the Busan Women Writers Association, followed by a choral performance.
A Literary Career Spanning Poetry and Criticism Since Her 1981 Debut
Since making her literary debut through the monthly magazine Poetry Literature in 1981, Lee Hye-seon has pursued both creative writing and literary criticism as a poet and literary critic.
She has served as Chairperson of the Korean Women Writers Association, Vice Chairman of the Korean Writers Association, a member of the Literature Promotion Policy Committee of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and an adjunct professor at Dongguk University, actively contributing to major areas of Korea’s literary community.
She currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Korean Association of Contemporary Poets, Vice President of the Korea Literature Copyright Association, advisor to the Korean Women Writers Association, advisor to the Korean Writers Association and PEN International Korea, and professor of poetry writing at the Korean Writers Association Education Institute. Through these roles, she continues to nurture future writers and contribute to the development of Korean literature.
Her poetry collections include Birdsong Delivery, Unmun Foil, Half the Wine Was Spilled, and How to Read Time, among others. She has also reached readers in the field of literary criticism through numerous publications, including the critical essay collection Literature and the Transformation of Dreams, as well as Lee Hye-seon’s Walk Through Famous Poems and An Evening with Poetry.
In particular, she contributed the weekly column “Lee Hye-seon’s Poem of the Week” to Segye Ilbo for one year, helping readers encounter poetry in a more accessible way. The column was later published as the book Lee Hye-seon’s An Evening with Poetry, which became a bestseller. She has continued to attract attention for her wide-ranging literary activities spanning both creative writing and criticism.
 [The Korean Today] Poet Lee Hye-seon receives the 17th Korean Women’s Literary Award, the festival’s highest nationwide honor, at the 16th Korean Women’s Literature Festival, marking 45 years of literary work spanning poetry and criticism since her debut in Poetry Literature in 1981. © Reporter Baek Chang-hee |
From Sejong Outstanding Book Recognition to International Literary Honors — A Literary World Expanding Beyond Borders
Lee Hye-seon’s literary activities have not been confined to Korea.
Following the selection of one of her works as a Sejong Outstanding Book by the Arts Council Korea in 2016, she has received numerous literary and artistic awards at home and abroad, including the Literary Asia Grand Prix Literary Medal, India’s “Raft of Dreams Literary Award,” the Yun Dong-ju Literary Award, the Dunchon Yi Jip Literary Award, the Korean Federation of Arts and Culture Organizations’ Arts and Culture Grand Prize, and the Critics Association Award for Literary Criticism.
She is also a member of the Distinguished Scholars Council of the International Academy of Ethics. Her poetry has been translated and introduced in more than 20 countries, including Italy, Germany, Türkiye, Egypt, Greece, Belgium, Pakistan, Albania, Vietnam, Mexico, Russia, and countries throughout South America, contributing to the international reach of Korean literature.
While rooted in the Korean language and cultural sentiment, her works explore universal perspectives on human life and existence, time, and nature. This universality is considered one of the key reasons her poetry has resonated with readers and literary figures around the world.
Following the Korean Women’s Literary Award, Lee Also Receives the ‘Gangdong Artists Grand Prize’
The celebration surrounding Lee Hye-seon’s Korean Women’s Literary Award continued the following day.
On September 10, Lee received the “Gangdong Artists Grand Prize,” presented by the Gangdong Federation of Artists (Chairman Kim Jong-su), in recognition of the artistic excellence of her work and her many years of contributions to the arts.
 [The Korean Today] Poet Lee Hye-seon, who received the Gangdong Artists Grand Prize following the Korean Women’s Literary Award. © Reporter Baek Chang-hee |
The two consecutive awards are meaningful not merely as personal achievements for one poet, but as renewed recognition of Lee’s long-standing contributions to Korean literature through poetry, literary criticism, literary organizations, the mentoring of younger writers, and international literary exchange.
One of Lee Hye-seon’s cherished sayings is “隨處作主 立處皆眞 (Sucheo Jakju, Ipcheo Gaejin),” meaning, “Wherever you are, become the master of your place, and wherever you stand becomes a place of truth.” In the same spirit, her literature has been a process of passionately recording life and the times from the place where she has stood.
As a poet, Doctor of Literature, and literary critic who has continued both creative writing and criticism, Lee Hye-seon is now expanding the reach of her literary world beyond the history of Korean women’s literature and toward readers across the globe.
Busan Women Writers Association Marks 33 Years of Expanding the Creative Foundation for Women Writers
Meanwhile, the Busan Women Writers Association was founded in 1993 under its first president, Jung Young-ja. For the past 33 years, it has continued to support the creative activities of women writers while helping enhance their rights and literary standing.
The association has carried out a wide range of initiatives, including discovering and supporting women writers, publishing literary collections, establishing and presenting literary awards, operating literature courses, and staging poetic theater performances, thereby contributing to the expansion of both regional literature and women’s literature.
In particular, the Korean Women’s Literature Festival has established itself as a literary celebration where women writers and readers can meet and communicate. Going beyond the presentation of literary awards, the festival offers seminars discussing the future direction of regional literature, as well as poetic theater, choral performances, and other literary and artistic programs.
 [The Korean Today] Poet Lee Hye-seon shares her acceptance remarks, reflecting on a 45-year literary journey spanning poetry and criticism since her 1981 debut in Poetry Literature. © Reporter Baek Chang-hee |
After receiving the 17th Korean Women’s Literary Award, Lee Hye-seon said in her acceptance speech, “From the 1920s onward, senior women writers steadfastly protected their literary worlds even in harsh circumstances, when they were not recognized by society and sometimes even faced jealousy and hostility from male writers. To carry on their spirit, I will devote myself to establishing the history of women’s literature.” Attention is now focused on how this commitment will continue through her poetry, criticism, and a new chapter in Korean women’s literature.
 [The Korean Today] QR code to browse books published by poet Lee Hye-seon |
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