The Nobel laureate canceled a press conference out of respect for people immersed in conflicts such as the Russian-Ukrainian war and Israel's war with Hamas.

On October 12, 2024, South Korean writer Han Kang, a Nobel Prize winner in literature, decided not to hold a press conference to show respect for people immersed in conflicts such as the Russian-Ukrainian war and Israel's war with Hamas.

The writer's father reported this to Yonhap Agency. Khan canceled all interviews and will express her thoughts on December 10 at the awards ceremony in Stockholm.

“The Swedish Academy gave me this award not for pleasure, but to keep my mind clear,” the agency quotes the writer’s father.

Publisher Han Kang released a statement from her where she shared her feelings about the award.

“I was surprised when I found out about my award. I am very grateful for the support and kind words,” Khan said.

The Swedish Academy named her Laureate of the Year for her intensely poetic prose that grapples with trauma and shows the fragility of life.

Han became the first female winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature from South Korea and the second South Korean laureate after Kim Dae-jung, who received the Peace Prize in 2000.