Gangbuk-gu Designates "Nobel Literature Street" in Ui-dong to Honor Author Han Kang

463 Meters Near Han Kang's Former Home

Designated as an Honorary Street

On July 30, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Jeong Changsu) announced that it has designated a road near the traditional house in Ui-dong as "Nobel Literature Street" in commemoration of the literary legacy of novelist Han Kang, the Nobel laureate.

Location of Nobel Literature Street. Provided by Gangbuk-gu.

Han Kang is the first South Korean and the first Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and the district has granted the honorary street name "Nobel Literature Street." This initiative aims to connect the growing global interest in Korean literature, sparked by the Nobel Prize, to the region's cultural assets and to establish a symbolic space that honors the author's life and body of work.

Nobel Literature Street is attached to roads surrounding the traditional house in Ui-dong, where Han Kang is known to have spent her childhood and school years, nurturing her literary sensibility. The section includes 307 meters of Samyang-ro 165-gil and part of Samyang-ro 169-gil, totaling 463 meters.

The name was finalized after gathering residents' preferences through both online and offline surveys. "Nobel Literature Street" received the highest support—56.5% online and 71.1% offline—and was chosen as the official name. The district completed the formal announcement of the honorary street name this month after collecting public input and obtaining approval from the Address Information Committee. Subsequent steps, including the installation of honorary street signs and registration with the address information system, will soon be finalized.

An honorary street name is a designation given in addition to existing street names to promote the symbolic significance of local historical figures or cultural and tourism resources. The statutory address continues to use the pre-existing street name.

District Mayor Jeong Changsu stated, "Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature marks a new milestone in the history of Korean literature. We will do our utmost to ensure that Nobel Literature Street becomes a place where the value of Korean literature can be shared and the author's literary world can be remembered."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.