South Koreans react with joy and amazement at writer Han Kang's Nobel win

South Koreans reacted with joy and astonishment on Thursday after learning that homegrown writer Han Kang won the Nobel Prize in literature, an unexpected moment that stoked national pride about the country's growing cultural influence.

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Han, known for her experimental and often disturbing stories that explore human traumas and violence and incorporate the brutal moments of South Korea's modern history, is the country's first writer to win the preeminent award in world literature.

Han's triumph adds to the growing global influence of South Korean culture, which in recent years included the successes of director Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning "Parasite," the brutal Netflix survival drama "Squid Game" and K-pop groups like BTS and BLACKPINK.