Reading Korea In India

Two months ago, when the Nobel Committee chose South Korean writer Han Kang as the 2024 Nobel Literature laureate, bookstores across India were flooded with requests for her books. Bahrisons, a favourite haunt of booklovers in Khan Market, Delhi, ran out of copies in a flash and had to restock all her titles. Sure, the Nobel was the immediate trigger, and a “shared sense of Asian pride” could have set off the wave, but Han is one among many Korean authors Indians love to read. Korean writers delve into a wide range of topics and genres. Many experiment with style, offering readers startling revelations and insights about the human condition. Their popularity has shot up in India over the last six to seven years.

“Korean-American author Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko (2017) was a phenomenon,” says Mithilesh Singh, Floor Manager at Bahrisons. Readers in India were hooked to the novel, making the epic family saga a constant presence on bestseller lists here. Beginning in Korea in 1910, Pachinko tells the stories of four generations of a Korean family which immigrates to Japan. “Pachinko came along and changed the destiny of Korean writing in India,” Singh declares. “Some books are like that…” Han Kang’s boundary-defying Booker winner The Vegetarian, published in South Korea in 2007 and translated into English in 2015 by Deborah Smith, is another such destiny-defining book. Indian readers may have different takes on it, but most have read it. Others say it is at the top of their to-read lists.

Popular Kerala-based book blogger Resh Susan notes that a large number of Indians are keen to read translated works. According to her, books by Korean writers are gaining a lot of traction among Indian readers especially since works in translation are easily available in the country now. “They actively discuss these books on social media,” she says. “Exposure to titles from different parts of the world and social media have helped the cause too.”

Of course, none of this would be possible without the translators whose brave choices—in terms of genres and topics—sparked Korean literature’s popularity in India. The list includes Janet Hong, translator of Ancco’s graphic novel Bad Friends; Anton Hur, who has translated books by several Korean authors like Bora Chung, Shin Kyun-sook and Baek Se-hee; Deborah Smith, founder of Tilted Axis Press and translator of literary stars like Han Kang and Bae Suah; and Clare Richards Kang, translator of Hwagil’s Another Person and BTS: Beyond the Story (with Anton Hur and Slin Jung).

Translators take pains to build cross-cultural bridges. Korean culture is similar to ours in some ways,” says writer Rahul Dahiya, who was swept away by South Korean author Baek Se-hee’s bestseller I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki (trans. Anton Hur). Dahiya is drawn to books by Korean authors because they capture the pulse of their culture with flair. “The writing transports me to a different environment, but the concerns and emotions they share are universal,” he says. Digital Creator Sonali Pawar is fascinated by the works of many Korean writers. According to her, they write about the everyday monotony and melancholy of life like no one else does. Authors she has read and re-read include Hwang Boreum, Hwang Sok-yong, Lee Mi-ye and Kim Hye-jin.

Contemporary Korean writers delve into topics that concern them deeply: family dynamics, the collision of tradition and modernity, women’s rights, the stress of modern work culture. There are experimental works, absurdist stories, crackling thrillers, family sagas, romances, uplifting novels—no dearth of choices for Indian readers to explore. Garima Gaur, who works at an MNC, is drawn to books by Korean authors because many of them are written by women. “A lot of their experiences in Korean society are similar to the ones in typical desi households,” says Gaur. “For example, in The Vegetarian, when the heroine stops eating meat, everybody is uncomfortable because she’s going against the grain. They try so hard to change her mind.”

For members of the Women and Gender Book Club founded by Taanya Kapoor in 2023, reading Cho Nam Joo’s Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 (trans. Jamie Chang) was “one of the most emotional sessions” they have ever held. The book raises searing questions about gender dynamics through the story of a young woman who lives on the outskirts of Seoul. When it was published, it was recommended to readers worldwide by BTS leader RM. Some say the South Korean boy band leader’s recommendation catapulted the novel into international bestseller territory.

When you talk of K-lit, can K-pop and K-dramas be far behind? It’s a fact that many Indian readers find their way to Korean literature via K-dramas and K-pop. The allure of K-dramas and the rise of K-pop prompt them to find out more about Korean society and culture. Books satisfy the urge. “K-dramas influenced my love for Korean literature,” says Susan. “It’s a whole new experience to read about a place whose visuals and people-dynamics you have consumed through another medium.” However, not all Indians who read books by Korean writers are K-drama lovers or K-pop fans. You don’t have to fall for one to love the other. For instance, Dahiya’s mother is a devoted fan of K-dramas, but he hasn’t watched any. His bookshelf, however, is home to books by more than one Korean author. Health-tech strategist Shreya Gupta, who shuttles between Delhi and the USA for work, doesn’t have any interest in K-dramas. Her reading list features many Korean writers though. One of the books that reeled her in was Michelle Zauner’s intense memoir Crying in H-Mart, which explores Zauner’s relationship with her Korean mother who passed away, and grapples with themes of identity and belonging. “It made me cry, it made me laugh,” says Gupta. “It’s bound to make you think about the parts of your self that you shed and the ones you cling to, especially if you are an immigrant.” Korean movies appeal to her as well. “Films like Past Lives and Parasite explore grey areas,” she says. “I like the filmmakers’ insights on our complicated world.”

Korean comics or manhwa have their share of readers in India. Webtoons—full-colour manhwas—are exclusively digital. Though not as popular as Japanese manga, manhwa and webtoon enthusiasts in India are a growing tribe. According to a survey by Statista, the number of digital comic readers in India is expected to reach 13.9 million in 2025. South Korean webtoons are very popular in Asian countries, especially in India and Indonesia. Webtoons are being made into films, K-dramas and various other shows for popular streaming platforms. “I have been hooked to some webtoons because of the hype around K-dramas adapted from manhwa,” says Susan. Sonali’s fondness for K-dramas led her to webtoons too.

Books, comics, webtoons—Indian enthusiasts welcome them all. And Hallyu, the global wave of popularity of Korea’s cultural output, continues to sweep over Indian shores.

(This appeared in the print as 'India Reads Korea')