With Korean literature's global standing becoming increasingly consolidated, overseas sales of K-literature translations have recorded approximately 1.2 million copies for two consecutive years, proving the formation of a broad and "sustainable" readership that extends beyond specific bestsellers.

According to data released by the Korean Literature Translation Institute on July 28, 2026, overseas sales of Korean literature translations last year (2025) totaled 1,197,557 copies. This represents a slight increase of 228 copies compared to the previous year (2024), setting a new annual sales record and achieving the remarkable feat of approximately 1.2 million copies sold for two consecutive years. In particular, over the past five years (2021-2025), 1,026 titles of Korean literature published in 40 language regions have accumulated sales of approximately 3.58 million copies, which is analyzed to be thanks to the solidification of global standing following author Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature and the formation of a broad readership rather than specific bestsellers.

The diversification of steady sellers was particularly notable. Last year, 50 translated works sold over 5,000 copies, of which 28 books sold over 10,000 copies. In particular, seven titles including the English edition of Han Kang's "Greek Lessons," the Russian edition of Son Won-pyung's "Fox Tail 1 (Suspicious Mission Camp)," and the Spanish edition of Kim Geum-suk's "Grass" proved steady popularity by selling over 4,000 copies annually for three consecutive years from 2023 to 2025.

[Photo=Yonhapnews]

The rise of "healing novels" is also noteworthy. "Welcome to Hunam-dong Bookstore" by author Hwang Bo-reum captured readers' hearts with approximately 88,000 copies sold across six translated versions. "The Uncomfortable Convenience Store" by author Kim Ho-yeon sold approximately 66,000 copies across nine translated versions and gained significant popularity, while author Yoo Young-gwang's "A Shop That Opens When It Rains," published in English in 2024, recorded approximately 16,000 copies sold two years after publication, emerging as a new bestseller. Meanwhile, Han Kang's "We Do Not Part" sold approximately 300,000 copies across 13 countries including Britain and France from 2023 to 2025, recording the highest sales volume among surveyed works and clearly demonstrating the securing of long-term demand beyond the short-term effects of the Nobel Prize.

Seon Soo-yong, Director of the Korean Literature Translation Institute, emphasized that "Korean literature's overseas expansion is occurring on a sustainable reader base rather than being a temporary phenomenon." This suggests that K-literature is growing based on solid fandom and demand in the global literary market, not as a one-time phenomenon.

Thus, the overseas expansion of Korean literature has firmly established itself as a "sustainable" trend that is consistently loved by readers worldwide through diverse works and genres, transcending the mere effects of Han Kang's Nobel Prize. The Korean Literature Translation Institute announced that it will strengthen strategic support reflecting demand by language region and work characteristics going forward, suggesting that K-literature's global influence will further expand.