Korea’s Cultural Struggle Is a Major Global Phenomenon: Speakers

At a literary evening held in Dhaka, speakers said that South Korea’s cultural struggle has now become a major global phenomenon, from which Bangladesh can also learn.

The “Korean Literary Evening” was organized on May 16 at Paribagh in the capital by Ujan Prokashon, with support from South Korea’s institution LTI Korea. The event highlighted various aspects of literature, film, and culture.

Renowned translator and academic Professor Khaliquzzaman Elias said that although the Bengali nation is essentially monolingual, it still lacks a language policy. A language policy is essential for any state. He noted that gaining equal fame in writing in two languages is rare. Referring to Syed Waliullah’s writings in French, he said that it is his Bengali literature that has endured.

In the discussion, archaeologist Professor Masood Imran Mannu said that there is a deep coordination among Korea’s literature, film, webtoons, and animation, which has strengthened their cultural power. He also mentioned that the characters in K-pop create alternative narratives.

Poet Kumar Chakraborty said that Korea’s literary strength is the foundation of its soft power. He highlighted the literary features of authors such as Kim Sowol, Ko Un, Jeong Chan, and Han Kang.

Poet Chanchal Ashraf and essayist Gouranga Mohanta explained the history of Korean literature. They said that Korea has transformed its history of oppression and experiences of civil war into literature, creating an emotional appeal to the human psyche.

Translator Shamset Tabarejee said that translation is literature in itself, and to do it properly, deep knowledge of both the original and the translated language is necessary. He also pointed out the lack of focus on contemporary literature in our educational institutions.

On behalf of Ujan Prokashon, Soroishwarja Muhommod said that they have translated and published eight Korean literary works in Bengali, including stories, poems, novels, and books on K-pop. There was also an exhibition of these books at the event.

Poems were recited at the event by Bijan Guha and Ummme Habiba, and fiction readings were presented by Halima Noor Papan. The program was hosted by cultural activist Dr. Shahnaz Parveen. At the end, a documentary was shown, featuring opinions of various notable individuals on reading Korean literature.