Kim Ho-yeon s acclaimed novel Uncanny Convenience Store is making waves in Spain as it gets translated into Spanish, opening a new chapter for Korean literature in Europe.
More contemporary Korean books are being translated into Chinese as novels deal with social issues that chime with fiction fans in China. The popularity of K-dramas and K-pop also has an influence.
HONG KONG — To gauge the popularity of contemporary Korean literature in China today, one needs not look past Kim Cho-yeop’s If We Cannot Move at the Speed of Light (2019).
The novel series, “Uncanny Convenience Store,” penned by Kim Ho-yeon, has become the newest title to sell over a million copies in Korea this week. According to the local publishing house, Namu Bench, as of Monday, the book s first volume had sold 800,000 copies, while the second sold more than 200,000.