Turkish readers write history as K-literature translation tops best sellers in 2025
Sales in Turkey of Hwang Bo-reum's 2022 novel “Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop" topped LTI Korea's list of translated works as Korean works fly off the shelves in the country.
Nobel laureate Han Kang speaks to reporters in a press conference in Avignon, Frane, on July 15.YONHAP
Korean literature has found an unlikely stronghold in Turkey, with Turkish translations rising to join the ranks of the best-selling overseas editions.
The most-sold title among works supported by the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) last year was the Turkish translation of Hwang Bo-reum's 2022 novel “Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop," according to the institute. The version, published in 2023, sold nearly 70,000 copies in 2025 and has been confirmed for its 190th printing, according to its Korean publisher Clayhouse.
Han Kang's "We Do Not Part" (2021) ranked second, with its English translation selling more than 60,000 copies.
The cover of the Turkish edition of Hwang Bo-reum's 2022 novel “Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop.” The Turkish edition was published in 2023.SCREEN CAPTURE
The fact that the top foreign-language seller was a Turkish edition of a Korean novel not by the Nobel laureate underscores the strength of the Turkish market, despite the language's much smaller readership.
Among the 28 top-selling LTI Korea-supported titles last year, Turkish translations also included Cheon Seon-ran’s 2020 novel “A Thousand Blues," which ranked sixth, “Your Cold Hands” (2024) by Han Kang, which ranked 13th, and “We Do Not Part,” which ranked 21st.
The Turkish editions of "A Thousand Blues," "Your Cold Hands" and "We Do Not Part" were published in 2025, 2024 and 2025, respectively.
“We Do Not Part” was also the best-selling Korean literary work overseas among LTI Korea-supported titles between 2023 and 2025. By language, the English edition ranked first, followed by the Turkish translation.
The figures are based only on books supported by LTI Korea and therefore exclude some Korean titles published independently in markets such as the United States.
The Turkish edition of Han Kang's 2007 novel "The Vegetarian" is displayed at a bookstore in Turkey in 2017.LEE NAN-A
An unlikely literary hot spot
Publishing industry sources say Turkey has emerged as one of the strongest overseas markets for Korean literature.
"Turkey is Europe's most enthusiastic market for Korean literature," Hong Soon-chul, the head of literary rights agency BC Agency, said. "Three universities, including Ankara University, have even established dedicated programs to train translators of Korean literature."
He added that author Hwang received an overwhelmingly enthusiastic reception during a visit to Turkey last year.
Although Korea and Turkey signed a cultural cooperation agreement in 1972, literary exchanges remained limited for decades. The first Korean literary work translated into Turkish was Yi Chong-jun's short story “The Prophet” in 1993. Interest remained modest, with some years passing without a single translation.
A turning point came in 2016, when Han Kang beat Orhan Pamuk to win the International Booker Prize.
"In 2016, Han Kang's ‘The Vegetarian’ [2007] and Pamuk's ‘A Strangeness in My Mind’ [2014] were both short-listed for the International Booker Prize,” Lee Nan-a, who has translated Pamuk's novels into Korean, recalled.
“That alone received extensive media coverage in Turkey. Most people there expected Pamuk, the country's Nobel laureate, to win. Instead, Han Kang won, which surprised the Turkish media and greatly increased interest in her work."
The following year, “The Vegetarian” was translated into Turkish. Interest was so strong that major Turkish media outlets traveled to Korea to interview Han.
Attention soon expanded beyond Han to Korean literature as a whole. Korea was selected as the guest of honor at the 2017 Istanbul International Book Fair. Four Korean works, including Hwang Sok-yong’s “Princess Bari” (2007), were translated into Turkish that year. By 2022, the number of Korean works translated into Turkish had risen to 11.
A total of 66 Korean literary works were translated into Turkish between 1993 and 2025. Of those, 52 were published between 2017 and 2025.
Author Han Kang delivers her acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize in Literature at the Nobel Banquet in Stockholm, Sweden, on Dec. 10, 2024.NEWS1
Shared history, shared stories
What has driven the popularity of Korean literature in Turkey, Lee said, is the two countries' shared historical experiences and similar social values.
"Speaking specifically about Han Kang's works, the patriarchal elements depicted in ‘The Vegetarian’ also exist in Turkey, while the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement portrayed in her 2014 novel 'Human Acts' has parallels in events that took place in Turkey around the same period," Lee said. The Turkish edition of “Human Acts” was published in 2019. "That makes it easier for Turkish readers to relate to Korean novels."
The Korean Wave has also helped broaden interest in titles such as “Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop.” The Korean television drama “Doctor Cha” (2023) was remade in Turkey as “Bahar” (2024-25), where it recorded the highest television ratings in the country's history.
Muge Kubra Oguz, who translated Hwang's 2023 essay collection "Simple Living" into Turkish for publication in 2025, said many readers first became interested in Korean culture through Korean dramas and films before naturally turning to its literature.
As Korean novels across a wide range of genres have been introduced, readers have developed trust in Korean literature, Oguz said, adding that many naturally go on to seek out works by other Korean authors after enjoying one book.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
