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| Kwak Hyo-hwan, the newly-appointed president of LTI Korea / Courtesy of Moonji Publishing Company |
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that the 54-year-old poet will lead for the next three years the government-affiliated organization that promotes Korean literature overseas.
Kwak earned a bachelor's degree from Konkuk University and a doctorate in Korean literature at Korea University.
He started his literary career in 1996, publishing "The Cat in the Mural 3" in the Segye Ilbo, followed by a handful of poetry collections including, "The Indio Woman" (2006), "The House Not Found on a Map" (2010), "The Frame of Sorrow" (2014) and "You Are" (2018).
He previously served as executive director of the Daesan Foundation, where he organized various events aiming to promote cultural exchanges between Korean writers and distinguished writers from around the world.
The poet also served as the vice chairman of the country's Literature Promotion Policy Committee, where he encouraged the globalization of Korean literature.
"We hope that LTI Korea will further expand its role to promote Korean literature overseas under the new leadership of Kwak Hyo-hwan," a culture ministry official said.
"Since Han Kang's 'The Vegetarian' won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize, we have noticed a renewed interest in Korean literature. The ministry plans to strengthen the drive to promote 'hallyu' (Korean wave) through literature with LTI Korea."
