Author Han Kang (left) on Dec. 10 receives her diploma and medal from Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf at the Nobel Prize awards ceremony held at the Konserthuset (Concert Hall) of Stockholm in Sweden. (Yonhap News)

By Aisylu Akhmetzianova

Author Han Kang, the first Korean and first Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, is Korea.net's Person of the Year.

Showing the world the power of domestic literature and sparking global interest in Korean books, Han has left a mark so groundbreaking and distinct that the history of Korean literature can be divided into before and after she came on the scene.

Korea.net on Dec. 13 selected Han from a list of candidates who made the country shine this year through a staff vote based on the number of articles posted about a nominee and his or her achievements.

The nominees included soccer star Son Heung-min, who won the Asian Football Confederation's International Player of the Year for the fourth time; actor Steven Yeun, who won several major awards for his performance in the Netflix series "Beef"; An Se Young, who earned a gold medal in women's badminton at this year's Paris Summer Olympics; and global K-pop sensation BTS.

Han received the majority of votes from Korea.net staff.

"Her incredible achievement of being the first Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature displayed the power of Korean literature to the world," Japanese-language staff writer Lee Kyoung Mi said. "Han Kang's award fueled a reading boom and a huge impact on the publishing industry."

Chinese-language staff writer Xu Aiying added, "Han Kang's award proves that the East Asian worldview and exploration of the human mind expressed through her works resonated with readers worldwide beyond Korea."

"Han Kang's achievement was also thanks to collaborations between translators and experts in various areas, especially the Literature Translation Institute of Korea," social media coordinator Yang Dahyung said. "This was the result of translating the subtle and delicate expressions of Korean into other languages."

On the left is a sign on Nov. 28 at Kyobo Book Centre in downtown Seoul celebrating Han Kang's historic Nobel Prize in Literature. On the right is the English-language edition of her acclaimed novel "The Vegetarian" on the same day at an exhibition of Korean literature hosted by the Korean Cultural Centre (KCC) in London. (Yang Dahyung and KCC in London)

Han on Dec. 10 received the Nobel Prize diploma and medal at the awards ceremony held at the Konserthuset (Concert Hall) of Stockholm in Sweden. Earlier on Dec. 7, she gave a lecture on her works at the Swedish Academy at Stockholm City Hall.

The writer is the second Korean to win the award after President Kim Dae-jung in 2000.

News of her win in early October ignited domestic and global interest in her books. Sales of her leading works at home skyrocketed to the top of the bestseller list.

Yes 24, a major book sales site, said Han's novel "Human Acts" from Dec. 2-8 topped its bestseller list for the ninth straight week, followed by her books "The Vegetarian" in second and "I Do Not Bid Farewell" third.

Interest in her works also exploded abroad. Foyles Charing Cross, a large bookshop in the U.K., set up a separate spot for Han at its main branch, while other similar stores in the country also saw her works sell out soon after her win and received a flood of requests for additional stock.

In 2016, Han first earned global acclaim after winning the International Booker Prize of the U.K. for "The Vegetarian." She went on to earn France's Prix Medici for foreign literature last year and the Emil Guimet Prize for Asian Literature (France) this year both for "I Do Not Bid Farewell," emerging as a global literary star.

Author Han Kang (center) on Dec. 10 receives applause from the audience after receiving her diploma and medal from Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf at the Nobel Prize awards ceremony held at the Konserthuset (Concert Hall) of Stockholm in Sweden. (Yonhap News)

aisylu@korea.kr