Novelist Han Kang (54) has reportedly stepped back from the management of the independent bookstore ‘Bookstore Today,’ which she opened in 2018. The bookstore previously announced on its official Instagram on November 2 that “Han Kang will no longer be involved in the operations of Bookstore Today, so please avoid any confusion.” It also warned followers to be cautious of impersonation accounts, stating, “The author does not have any social media accounts related to the bookstore or herself.”
The bookstore temporarily closed on October 12, two days after the announcement of Han Kang’s Nobel Literature Prize win, and reopened about a month later on November 13. The reopening attracted many visitors, leading to another temporary closure and Han’s decision to step back from management.
Upon resuming operations, the bookstore reduced its business hours. It was previously open daily from 1 PM to 7 PM but now operates only four days a week, from Wednesday to Saturday, from 3 PM to 7 PM. Despite this change, Han Kang remains listed as an internal director in the company’s registry as of the 26th. Han had stepped down as CEO in 2021, and the position has remained vacant since.
In the past, Han was actively engaged in the bookstore’s operations, personally arranging books and writing introductory notes for display. Her involvement also extended to her son, who is in his 20s, occasionally helping out on weekends. Han had expressed her affection for the bookstore in a 2016 interview with the Financial Times, stating that if she had to abandon writing, she would like to run a small independent bookstore on the outskirts of Seoul. A literary acquaintance indicated that although Han is stepping back, it is unlikely she will completely sever her connection with the bookstore.
Since attending the Pony Chung Award ceremony on October 17, Han has refrained from public appearances. She is currently preparing for the Nobel Prize in Literature award ceremony, scheduled for December 10 (local time). It has been reported that she submitted the first draft of her lecture manuscript to the Swedish Academy in mid-November. The manuscript required translation into Swedish and English and needed to be printed as a brochure well ahead of the lecture scheduled for December 7 in Sweden.
Han is expected to leave for Sweden in early December, with her first official engagement being a press conference on the 6th. Since the Nobel Prize announcement, she has largely avoided media interactions, having participated in just one interview with Swedish public broadcasting. The upcoming press conference will be her first since the Nobel announcement, roughly two months prior.