Official poster for 2026 Seoul International Writers' Festival (Literature Translation Institute of Korea)

By Kim Seon Ah

Writers from around the world next month will gather in Seoul to explore the meaning of humanity and community in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) through literature.

The Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea), an affiliate of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, on Aug. 10 announced its hosting of this year's Seoul International Writers' Festival from Sept. 11-16 at Ara Art Center in the city's Jongno-gu District.

Under the theme "Who Are We?" the event will explore the identity of humans and community, value of humanity and literature's role in an era when AI and nonhuman entities are major topics of discussion.

Twenty-four writers -- 14 from Korea and 10 from overseas -- will attend the festival. Around 20 programs will include talks with authors, dialogues with translators and events with audience participation.

The opening forum, exploring the theme "We Are Human," will have novelist Kim Ae-ran and Chilean writer Benjamin Labatut discuss human nature as well as human existence and identity as depicted in literature.

Also slated to attend are South African novelist Damon Galgut, Japanese novelist Keiichiro Hirano, Canadian writer Silvia Moreno-Garcia and German poet Uljana Wolf. Novelist Lee Heejoo and U.S. writer John Langan will see each other again at the festival after appearing in April at the crime fiction event Quais du Polar in Lyon, France.

Novelist Moon Ji-hyuk and translator Paige Morris will discuss literary exchange through translation. Interactive programs will include the production of audiobooks featuring poetry readings and live drawing sessions.

LTI Korea President Chon Sooyoung said, "I hope that this is an opportunity for writers and readers in different languages and cultures to understand one another through literature and jointly reflect on the value of humanity."

To be held both online and offline, the festival offers all programs free of charge. Reservations can be made on the event's official website (https://www.siwf.or.kr/eng/intro.do)
and Naver.

sofiakim218@korea.kr