When South Korean author Han Kang, 54, won the Nobel Prize in Literature earlier this month, the country fell into a state of collective jubilee. The author’s book sold over a million copies within six days, and music Han recommended in past interviews has been climbing up the charts on streaming sites. Fans have been flocking to the small bookstore she runs in Seoul, prompting the author to “temporarily close” shop.
As her books draw unprecedented attention and sell out nationwide, causing bookstores to rush reprints, one of her most famous works, The Vegetarian, has been embroiled in controversy over concerns that it may not be suitable for young readers.
A parent’s association called for banning The Vegetarian from school libraries, claiming the book is “harmful to minors. “Parents are shocked at the attempt to place a book with such extreme and violent content in elementary, middle, and high school libraries simply because it was written by a Nobel laureate,” the Confederation of National Parents’ Association said in a statement on Oct. 22.
The association argued that the novel should be classified as “harmful content for youth,” citing graphic descriptions of sexual intercourse. “Just because an R-rated film wins an Academy Award doesn’t mean it becomes suitable for minors,” the association added. The association launched a petition to prevent The Vegetarian from being placed in school libraries, and so far, more than 10,000 people have signed the petition.
During a National Assembly audit earlier this week, lawmakers questioned why The Vegetarian had been removed from some schools in Gyeonggi Province. From September to November last year, the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education sent official notices containing criteria for assessing harmful media for youth. Schools were instructed to hold library committee meetings to identify “harmful books for minors.” Through this process, 2,490 schools classified 2,517 books as harmful, including The Vegetarian.
One school in Gyeonggi Province decided to remove The Vegetarian, citing concerns over its depiction of a sexual relationship between a brother-in-law and his sister-in-law. Two other schools restricted the book’s access.
“I read The Vegetarian, and it is a deeply thoughtful work,” Yim Tae-hee, Superintendent of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, said during the national audit. He added, “But I understand parents’ concerns from an educational perspective. I would also recommend that my child read The Vegetarian after graduating high school.”
Some lawmakers demanded an apology from Superintendent Lim, calling the decision to remove the novel an “anachronistic form of censorship.” Rep. Baek Seung Ah of the Democratic Party criticized the Gyeonggi Office of Education for “directing schools to remove books deemed harmful by conservative Christian groups and the ruling People Power Party.”
The public is also divided over this issue. Worried mothers expressed concerns about the novel on online communities for moms. “I don’t want my teenage daughter to read a book with such explicit sexual content,” read one post.
Others contend that such concerns are “extreme” and that some parents are focusing too much on the sexual content within the novel, considering that The Vegetarian deals with bigger themes in a nuanced and metaphoric manner.
“The way I see it, the controversy is a side-effect, but a positive one,” said a publishing industry insider. “More people are taking an interest in Han Kang’s works, and hopefully this will encourage more people to read books.”
Han’s Nobel Prize win has sparked a temporary book-buying frenzy in Korea. Credit card company BC Card said book sales jumped by nearly 40% from Oct. 10, the day Han won the Nobel Prize, to Oct. 16.
