Chonnam National University and Jangheung-gun Hold Humanities Forum for 1st Anniversary of Author Han Kang’s Nobel Prize… Seeking a Sustainable Future for ‘Jangheung, the City of Nobel Literature’

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Connecting Literary Assets to Regional Development Drive… Discussing Visions for a Humanities City and Cultural Regeneration Strategies

Chonnam National University and Jangheung-gun hosted a humanities forum to commemorate the first anniversary of author Han Kang’s Nobel Prize in Literature, aiming to transform the region’s literary assets into a drive for future development. The forum was held at “Papillon ZIP,” a cultural regeneration space in Jangheung-gun, under the theme “Jangheung, City of Nobel Literature: Envisioning a Sustainable Future,” providing a platform to view the future of regional literature and the city together.

The event was organized by Chonnam National University’s Humanities-Social Sciences Convergence Talent Education Project Group(HUSS) for the Digital Economy, presenting a framework to connect humanities with regional policy and cultural regeneration.

The forum was attended by Jangheung County Governor Kim Sung, faculty members originally from Jangheung or in related fields, and local residents to discuss the vision of “Jangheung as a Humanities City” and the role of humanities in the digital economy era. In his opening remarks, Governor Kim highlighted the significance of the event as a place to reflect on the historical assets of Jangheung’s literature and explore how to connect them with future generations. He emphasized that academia, culture, and the local community must work in solidarity to expand Jangheung’s literary possibilities.

In the keynote presentation, Director Park Seok-gang proposed a direction for sustainable regional development based on the literary assets Jangheung possesses, under the theme “Development of Jangheung as a City of Nobel Literature.” A key point was raised that literature should not remain a mere cultural asset but should be linked with education, tourism, and urban policy to be expanded into a long-term growth engine for the region.

During the thematic presentations, the possibility of combining literature, urban space, and art was discussed from various angles. Professor Baek Jin of Seoul National University suggested ways to reconstruct urban spaces based on literary imagination, explaining how Jangheung’s spatial assets can be converted into cultural vitality. Professor Kim Sun-doo of Chung-Ang University introduced cases of reinterpreting the works of Lee Cheong-jun—a representative writer of Jangheung—through Korean paintings, looking into the potential for cultural development where literature and art converge. This was followed by discussions on how cultural narratives connecting Jangheung’s past, present, and future can be further expanded.

The final session of the forum featured a comprehensive discussion titled “Mapping the Future of Jangheung Together.” Moderated by Professor Baek Su-in of Chosun University, the panel included Chonnam National University Professor Emeritus Lee Chil-woo, Chosun University Professor Kim Hong-nam, and former Gwangju University Adjunct Professor Cho Jae-hwan, who engaged in an in-depth discussion on Jangheung-gun’s future development strategies based on humanities and cultural assets.

The forum was supported by the Ministry of Education, the National Research Foundation of Korea, and the College of Cultural and Social Sciences at Chonnam National University. It is evaluated as a meaningful case of exploring regional identity and sustainable development through the medium of literature.

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