Gyeonggi Province Office of Education is under fire for disposing books including Han Kang’s novels. Officials claimed that the novels contained sexually explicit content, contrasting sharply with the fact that Han Kang has won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

“\nAs novelist Han Kang (53) became the first Korean writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, it has been highlighted that the Gyeonggi Education Office disposed of 2,528 books, including Han Kang’s ‘The Vegetarian,’ as ‘harmful to youth sexual education’ last year. \n\nAccording to a KBS report in May, last year, 2,528 books were discarded as ‘inappropriate sexual education books for youth’ at elementary, middle, and high school libraries in Gyeonggi Province. \n\nAccording to the ‘Status of Discarded Sexual Education Books’ submitted by the Gyeonggi Education Office to the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Kang Min-jung, literary works including Han Kang’s ‘The Vegetarian,’ Choi Jin-young’s ‘The Proof of Existence,’ and Jose Saramago’s ‘Blindness’ were disposed of in school libraries. In addition, books like ‘The Guide to Adolescence’ which won the 2013 German Book Award for Popular Science and ‘Sex Education for Teens,’ awarded by a British educational journal this year, were also included. \n\nAccording to KBS, the Gyeonggi Education Office issued a letter in November last year advising schools to discard ‘books related to sex.’ The list did not specify books that require management but instead referred schools to the ‘Criteria for Evaluating Harmful Media for Youth’ and ‘related articles.’ These articles were related to a press conference held by conservative parents’ groups in September of last year demanding the disposal of inappropriate sexual education books in school libraries. \n\nIt is interpreted that books arbitrarily designated as ‘harmful to youth’ by this group, as well as books containing content related to sex and the human body, were discarded. \n\nGiven the renewed attention to the fact following Han Kang’s Nobel Prize in Literature win, netizens are expressing disbelief. \n\nOne netizen criticized, “Not every malicious complaint should be entertained. It’s absurd that a library that disposed of the representative work of the first Korean Nobel Prize winner in Literature feels like a farce.” \n\nOther comments included, “As a librarian, there are too many complaints like this at libraries. This is why education in our country is failing,” “If they discard perfectly good sex education books, students will only turn to online adult content for sexual education,” and “Now that she won the Nobel Prize in Literature, are they going to repurchase the discarded books?” \n\nOn the same day, the Swedish Academy announced that they had selected Korean writer Han Kang as the winner of this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature. \n\nThe Swedish Academy cited Han Kang for her ‘powerful poetic prose that confronts historical trauma and reveals the fragility of human life’ as the reason for her selection.”