Nobel Laureate Han Kang Dominates Public Library Loans Across South Korea

Nobel laureate Han Kang’s novel Human Acts was the most borrowed book in South Korean public libraries in 2025, leading a surge in local literature demand.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 2, 2026, 12:06 PM EDT

Source: The Real Deal

The Resurgence of 'Human Acts' and Historical Memory

"Human Acts," originally published in 2014, has seen a massive revival among domestic readers. The novel centers on the story of Dong-ho, a young boy caught in the crosshairs of the military’s violent suppression of the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising. By placing this work at the top of the loan rankings, the South Korean public is demonstrating a collective desire to engage with "trauma literature"—works that confront historical state violence through a poetic and humanistic lens. The book’s popularity suggests that the Nobel win has transformed these once-painful historical accounts into essential cultural touchstones.

A Clean Sweep of the Top Literary Rankings

The library data reveals a rare "triple crown" for a single author. While "Human Acts" took the top spot, Han's internationally acclaimed "The Vegetarian" and her more recent "We Do Not Part" ranked second and third, respectively. In total, 17 of Han Kang’s works placed within the top 1,000 most-borrowed books of 2025. This broad-spectrum interest indicates that library users are not just seeking out her most famous titles, but are exploring her entire bibliography, including more meditative works like "The White Book," which also secured a spot in the top ten.

Strategic Shift in Library User Preferences

The 2025 data points to a significant strategic shift in the South Korean publishing and library ecosystem. Traditionally, translated foreign fiction and self-help titles have dominated loan statistics. However, in 2025, domestic Korean literature accounted for a substantial 25 percent of all borrowed books. Library officials attribute this trend to the "Nobel effect," which has sparked a broader curiosity about local authors and the literary merits of Korean-language storytelling. This shift provides a unique opportunity for public libraries to expand their collections of contemporary Korean fiction to meet the growing demand.