BTS member V / Courtesy of Bit Hit Entertainment

V, member of the Korean supergroup BTS, took to social media to say, "Congratulations, I read 'Human Acts' while in the military," shortly after writer Han Kang became the first Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature.

BTS' leader RM also shared the same post to his 46.7 million followers on Instagram, adding a celebratory emoji caption.

The news of Han's groundbreaking win sparked a flood of congratulatory messages from the entertainment world.

Han's work, praised by the Nobel Committee "for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life," has also served as a creative inspiration for the young generation, including prominent figures in K-pop and other fields.

Singer Hynn (real name Park Hye-won), one of the "Han Kang Kids," revealed that she chose her stage name after reading Han's novel "The White Book." Hynn means white in Korean.

Posting a picture of the book's cover on social media, she shared how the sentence, "Even if I become tainted, I will hand over only the white things," deeply resonated with her. She said it solidified her resolve to stay sincere in her music, no matter the challenges. "I've continued to read Han Kang's works, like 'The Vegetarian' and 'Human Acts,' and I admire her deep insights into the times and humanity," she added.

Seolhyun, member of the K-pop girl group AOA, also expressed her admiration for Han's work, posting a highlighted passage from "Human Acts" that read: "What is a human being? What must we do to ensure we remain human?" as her way of celebrating Han's win.

Actor Teo Yoo, who starred in the 2023 film "Past Lives," shared a scene from the movie on social media that read, "Koreans will never win a Nobel Prize in Literature," along with the caption, "You should have stayed in Korea."

A post shared by BTS member V on social media. Captured from social media

He used Han Kang's Nobel Prize win as a way to console the cultural inferiority complex of his character in the film.

TV personality Choi Hee recalled her mother's painful experience reading "Human Acts," set during the pro-democracy uprising in the writer's home city of Gwangju.

Choi wrote on her social media, "It took her three years to finish the book because of the emotional toll it took on her. Truly, congratulations."

Actor Ryu Deok-hwan also shared in the joy of the win, saying, "Han Kang's novel, which I read in the military, had a great impact on me."

Broadcaster and bookstore owner Kim So-young expressed her emotions, stating, "K-pop, K-content, K-food, K-beauty—these were already impressive, but now it's literature. I'm overwhelmed to witness Korean culture flourishing so much in my lifetime."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.