Nobel laureate in literature Han Kang speaks during this year's Nobel Prize lecture in literature at the Swedish Academy, in Stockholm, Sweden, Dec. 7. Reuters-Yonhap

In a poignant lecture, titled, "Light and Thread," Nobel Prize winner Han Kang revisited the roots of her literary journey, starting with a poem book she wrote at the age of 8.

Speaking in Korean to an audience of hundreds in Stockholm on Friday, she shared a reflection on love, creativity and the enduring impulses that have shaped her writing.

In the livestreamed lecture, she read out her poem from her 8-year-old self: "Where is love? It is inside my thump-thumping beating chest. What is love? It is the gold thread connecting between our hearts."

She emphasized the connection between her youthful passion for words and her present self, describing it as "the golden thread that joins — a thread that emanates light" that links the past and present.

Reflecting on her novels, which often take years to complete, she described the "special pull" of writing, even though it requires her to exchange "considerable portions of my personal life" to create them.

"The way I can delve into, and dwell in, the questions I feel are imperative and urgent, so much so that I decide to accept the trade-off."

She says each novel brings transformation.

Han Kang, Nobel laureate in Literature 2024, with Mats Malm, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy, left, at the Swedish Academy in Stockholm, Sweden, Dec. 7. AP-Yonhap

"Each time I work on a novel, I endure the questions; I live inside them. When I reach the end of these questions — which is not the same as when I find answers to them — is when I reach the end of the writing process."

While questions of violence and beauty have driven her past work, she revealed that love has always been a deeper, guiding force.

"Could it be that love was in fact my life's oldest and most fundamental undertone?"

She also shared insights about her current project, linked to "The White Book." The upcoming novel continues her exploration of loss and indestructibility, inspired by her sister, who died two hours after birth.

"I will go on writing, however slowly. I will move past the books I've already written and continue on."

She concluded her lecture by thanking her readers — both current and future — for connecting with her through the "thread of language" and engaging with her questions.

"I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all those who have connected with me through that thread, as well as all those who may come to do so." (Yonhap)