Author Han Kang Calls for Reflection on Societal Division and Hate at Avignon Festival

Acclaimed author Han Kang, speaking at France's Avignon Festival, urged a deeper societal reckoning with hate speech and division, stating that "shocking incidents keep covering each other up, and they get swept away." She emphasized the need for collective introspection to determine a new direction for society, rather than allowing crises to be buried by subsequent events. Kang made these remarks during an interview with Korean media outlets in Avignon.

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Shocking incidents keep covering each other up, and they get swept away, and it doesn't seem good. We should put our heads together and think about how to change direction.

Having largely withdrawn from public life since receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2024 to focus on her next work, Kang's appearance at the festival marked her first meeting with Korean press in approximately two years. Her participation coincides with Korean being the official invited language at the festival, featuring readings of her works.

Responding to a question about the extreme divisions in Korean society, alongside global conflicts like those in Ukraine and the Middle East, Kang described it as a "problem of hate." She expressed hope that if society collectively agrees that hate is unnatural and problematic, there is a path forward. Kang, who depicted the trauma of the May 18th Gwangju Uprising in her novel "Boys Coming Over," also commented on the recent controversy surrounding the Baejae High School baseball team's alleged mockery of the Gwangju Uprising. She noted that teachers are deeply concerned about how to respond, and that "it is a time when we, as the older generation, must deeply reflect on why we have failed."

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It's ultimately a problem of hate, and it's a difficult problem. But if we have a unified thought that hate is not natural and is problematic, then I think there is hope.

Kang stressed that such incidents, when they surface, should be seized upon as opportunities for society to collectively consider how to pivot. She believes the Baejae High School controversy should serve as a catalyst for fundamentally examining the issue of hate in society, rather than letting it fade away. The festival also featured a reading of an Italian adaptation of her novel "I Do Not Bid Farewell," which received a warm reception. Kang herself participated in a reading of the work alongside French actress Isabelle Huppert and Korean actress Lee Hye-young.

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It is a time when we, as the older generation, must deeply reflect on why we have failed.