The immersive display of transformed Korean literary masterpieces enthralls global travelers

The animated adaptations of Yoon Dong-ju’s “One Night I Count the Stars” and novelist Han Kang’s “The White Book” are being screened throughout Incheon International Airport's terminals until Feb. 29, 2024. Courtesy of LTI Korea

Incheon International Airport is captivating travelers from around the world with a distinctive literary experience, featuring two significant Korean works of literature transformed into captivating animations. The collaboration between the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) and the airport has given birth to the media exhibition "A Global Reading Experience: K-Literature for Everyone," showcasing animated adaptations of poet Yoon Dong-ju’s "One Night I Count the Stars" (1948) and novelist Han Kang’s "The White Book" (2016).

These animated renditions are showcased on nine major LED screens strategically positioned across the airport's two terminals, including a monumental media tower at Terminal 1. The exhibition offers both Korean and English versions of the animations, running until February 29, 2024.

Yoon Dong-ju’s "One Night I Count the Stars" stands as a magnum opus, celebrated for his words of resistance against Japan's forced occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. The piece has been translated into over 10 languages, including English, French, Spanish, and Japanese, extending its impact globally.

Han Kang, internationally acclaimed as the first Korean recipient of the International Booker Prize for "The Vegetarian" in 2016, continued to make waves with "The White Book," shortlisted for the same award in 2018. Both literary works were skillfully translated by Deborah Smith.

Illustrator soman, renowned for delicate pointillist works gracing book covers and K-pop boy group Seventeen’s “Super” lyric video, brought the two texts to digital life, infusing them with immersive animations.

Apart from the captivating airport exhibition, these animated adaptations will also be showcased at this year's Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany from October 19 to 23, further amplifying their reach and impact. For those unable to experience them in person, the animations are available online on the official YouTube channels of LTI Korea and Incheon Airport, ensuring a broader audience can partake in this literary visual feast.

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