Peace Lee, a Korean American translator, has been awarded the 56th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards Kevin O'Rourke Prize for her outstanding work in bringing Korean literature to English-speaking audiences. Born to Christian missionary parents and raised across multiple countries, Lee's multicultural upbringing fostered a deep appreciation for languages and translation that would eventually shape her career.
Lee's childhood was marked by constant movement and linguistic diversity. "By the time I entered college, I'd already moved more than 20 times," she explained. "My parents were missionaries, so we left Korea when I was 5 and settled in the Philippines, where I first became aware of the multiplicity of languages." In the Philippines, she encountered a rich tapestry of communication where "English, Tagalog, regional dialects and even traces of Spanish coexisted in the same air." This early exposure left a lasting impression on her. "I remember being 7, fascinated that there were so many ways to say something as simple as eight. That early wonder shaped how I came to see the world."
Currently residing in the United States, Lee initially pursued a different path entirely. She discovered her passion for translation while studying at a theological seminary, where she was training to become a preacher and teacher of homiletics. A single moment during her graduate studies changed everything. "I still remember translating a homiletics article from Korean to English during graduate school. Inside it was a single literary quotation – and the joy of translating that one passage lit something in me. I thought, 'this is what I want to do,'" the award winner recalled.
This revelation led Lee to make a dramatic career change, leaving her theological career to pursue literary translation full time. She is now working on an ambitious English translation of Hyun Ki-young's three-volume epic "O Jejudo," as well as several of his short stories, including "Iron and Flesh," which earned her the Kevin O'Rourke Prize.
Lee's encounter with Hyun's writing came during a transformative period in her life. "I discovered his work in 2017, when I returned to Korea for the first time in nearly two decades. That trip was deeply personal – a homecoming to bless my beginnings, honor my ancestors and understand where I came from," she said. During this meaningful journey, Lee traveled to Jeju Island for a peace forum and participated in what she describes as a "dark pilgrimage," walking through sites related to the Jeju April 3 Massacre, visiting the 4.3 Peace Museum, and listening to survivors' testimonies.
The experience on Jeju Island proved to be life-changing. "That experience changed me. It was there I first heard Hyun's name, a writer who had been imprisoned and tortured for daring to write about the genocide on his island," she explained. "I was so moved by his courage that I carried home a copy of 'Aunt Suni,' his landmark novella." The impact of this trip extended far beyond her literary interests, fundamentally altering her life's direction.
Following her return from Korea, Lee made another significant life change, leaving both the church and her teaching position. "[The trip] dismantled the moral world I'd inherited and forced me to confront how faith, when unexamined, can become an instrument of violence," she reflected. "From that moment, I began to dream of turning away from institutional ministry toward the quieter, riskier work of witness – through literature and translation."
Translating "Iron and Flesh" presented unique challenges that tested both her linguistic and emotional resilience. The technical difficulties stemmed from the text's complexity, particularly "the abundance of sajaseongeo, four-character expressions derived from Chinese characters, and the use of Jeju dialect." However, the linguistic challenges paled in comparison to the emotional weight of the material. "But emotionally, the hardest part was the material itself. Each anecdote in 'Iron and Flesh' is marked as based on a true story. To sit with that – to translate lines born of real violence and real loss – was often overwhelming," she said.
For Lee, winning the translation award that honors Kevin O'Rourke represents much more than professional recognition. It serves as validation of her decision to follow her authentic calling despite the risks involved. "After leaving the church and ministry, I began truly listening to my own calling – and it led me here. Even though translation isn't the most secure field, especially with AI on the rise and publishing under pressure, it's the work of my dreams. I can't imagine doing anything else," she said.
Lee views her work as extending beyond mere professional duty into a fundamental way of engaging with the world. "My translation practice has become more than a profession: it's a way of being in the world – a way of listening, bridging and honoring voices that might otherwise remain unheard," she explained. Her motivation extends to serving the Korean diaspora and addressing the lack of representation she experienced in her own youth. "Not just for myself, but for the Korean diaspora and for the younger version of me who searched library shelves for Asian and Asian American books and found so few. Now that there is a growing abundance, I want to help widen that circle."
