Novelist Jo Myung-hee, whose <Nakdong River> was recently adapted into a musical, has been selected as the overseas Korean of the month by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on October 5 that it selected novelist Jo Myung-hee as the October overseas Korean of the month in celebration of the 110th anniversary of the Korean immigration to Mexico. Novelist Jo was selected for her great contribution to the development of Korean literature with her novel <Nakdong River> which deals with the history and identity of Koreans and has been translated into 16 languages. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been selecting an overseas Korean of the month since April 2011 to commemorate the overseas Korean community and to encourage their activities. The selection committee evaluated that Jo’s novel <Nakdong River> not only contributed to the development of Korean literature but also served as a cultural ambassador for Korea, introducing Korean culture to the world through her literature. Novelist Jo Myung-hee, who currently resides in Mexico, plans to actively engage in activities introducing Korean culture to the world along with promoting the overseas Korean community. The overseas Korean of the month is selected by a selection committee consisting of experts from various fields such as overseas Koreans, literature, history, and culture. The selection committee has selected 86 overseas Koreans so far, including CEO of Samsung Electronics, Oh-Hyun Kwon, and Chairman of the Lotte Group, Shin Kyuk-ho.
We haven't written up this one. Hankyoreh has the full story — the link below goes straight to it.
