The judges for The Korea Times' 56th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards have released their comprehensive evaluation report, revealing significant trends in contemporary Korean literature translation and the growing community of skilled translators. The three judges - Sora Kim-Russell, Krys Lee, and Janet Poole - noted that this year's entries continue to reflect the booming international interest in Korean literature.

According to the judges' report, clear trends emerged in fiction submissions, including a notable increase in LGBTQ stories, dystopian themes, and fiction inspired by K-pop culture. Poetry submissions demonstrated remarkable range, spanning from short, aphoristic works to longer forms deeply rooted in contemporary everyday life experiences. The judges emphasized that translators are successfully identifying meaningful works and effectively communicating their significance to future readers.

The judging process revealed important considerations about text selection and representation. The judges grappled with questions about what winning entries should represent and whether they should primarily entertain readers while maintaining smooth English readability. Some excellent translations initially captured attention but ultimately felt more superficial or less challenging than others, while other entries presented steep translation challenges that weren't fully met in the English versions.

For poetry submissions specifically, the judges observed noticeable differences in difficulty levels, with several entries being hindered by overly literal translation approaches. While individual poems often impressed the judges deeply, they ultimately had to evaluate each entry as a complete collection. This evaluation process led to a deeper understanding of text selection as a critical and potentially under-examined aspect of a translator's responsibilities.

The Grand Prize in fiction was unanimously awarded to "The Things that Go By" by Kim Ji-yeon, an LGBTQ story that impressed judges with the translator's masterful control of mood and voice. The judges praised the story for feeling lifelike, subtle, and fully realized, with well-managed emotional development and a strong emotional throughline. They particularly appreciated the story's setting in a less glamorous corner of small-town Korea, though they noted that kinship term translations could benefit from more nuance.

The Commendation Award in the fiction category went to "Aeon" by Choi Hee-ra, which stood out as both accomplished science fiction and an exceptional short story in English. This work skillfully weaves moral complexity and emotional depth into a narrative that feels both timely and unsettlingly possible, while raising serious questions about love, consciousness, and the boundaries between human and machine. Although it didn't reach the same level of lexical complexity as the Grand Prize winner, the translation demonstrated quiet precision in rhythm control, consistency, and balance between accuracy and lyricism.

Selecting the Grand Prize winner for poetry proved more challenging for the judges. After careful deliberation, they chose a collection of poems by Pak Seo-won, including "Calling 1," based on the higher complexity of the source text and stronger language control in the translation. The judges described this selection as ambitious, given the density of language, playful subject matter, and its significant place in Korean literature. They appreciated the distinctive voice crafted by the translator and their willingness to follow the source text through both melodramatic heights and intimate moments.

The Poetry Commendation Award was presented to translations of poems including "Words Close to the Heart" by Park So-ran, which captured the judges' hearts with its intimate voice and language grounded in everyday life. The translator demonstrated admirable skill in recreating line breaks and phrasings, though the judges identified some missed opportunities that could have elevated the selection further. Because the source poems featured less dense language, omissions or changes to imagery and sentence endings were felt more acutely in the translation.

The Kevin O'Rourke Prize was awarded to "Iron and Flesh" by Hyun Ki-young, a story that boldly challenges conventional short story expectations while developing new strategies to address its subject matter - the April 3 Jeju Massacre. The translator met this challenge with an energetic, emotion-driven voice maintained throughout the entire piece, though the judges noted that longer, cumulative-style sentences could benefit from revision, as these are notoriously difficult to translate effectively.

The judges expressed particular delight in recognizing the translator's ambition and bold text choice with this specific award. They hope this recognition will encourage other translators to think beyond traditional literary formats and take creative risks in their work. The selection represents an unconventional yet timely choice that powerfully demonstrates literature's capacity to confront erasure and injustice, serving as a reminder of translation's vital role in preserving and sharing important historical narratives.