Kim Hak-cheol Literary Award
2026 established · Hosted by the Kim Hak-cheol Literary Award Support Group, Anti-Japanese Armed Struggle History School
The Kim Hak-cheol Literary Award is a reader-funded prize created by 100 readers who took the "Beomdo Route" tour retracing sites of the anti-Japanese armed resistance in Manchuria, the Russian Maritime region, Lake Baikal, and the Taihang Mountains, pooling small monthly donations. It is run by the Kim Hak-cheol Literary Award Support Group, Anti-Japanese Armed Struggle History School, without support from any institution or organization, and honors writers who renew the spirit of the mother tongue.
The winners' anthology will be published by Asia Publishers on July 25, 2026.
Past Winners
The inaugural award winners are Hwang Jung-eun, Choi Jin-young, and Jeon Chun-hwa; the grand prize work will be determined by reader vote after the winners' anthology is published on July 25, 2026.
Q. What is the Kim Hak-cheol Literary Award?
A reader-funded prize created by 100 readers who took the "Beomdo Route" tour retracing sites of the anti-Japanese armed resistance in Manchuria, the Russian Maritime region, Lake Baikal, and the Taihang Mountains, pooling small monthly donations. It is run by the Kim Hak-cheol Literary Award Support Group, Anti-Japanese Armed Struggle History School, without support from any institution or organization, and honors writers who renew the spirit of the mother tongue. 2026 marks its inaugural year.
Q. Who are the winners of the Kim Hak-cheol Literary Award?
The inaugural award winners are Hwang Jung-eun, Choi Jin-young, and Jeon Chun-hwa. The winners' anthology will be published by Asia Publishers on July 25, 2026, and the grand prize work will be determined by reader vote after publication.
Q. What are the eligibility and selection process for the Kim Hak-cheol Literary Award?
There is no open submission process. The support group selects three nominated works from short and mid-length fiction published in the past two years (excluding writers who have received awards tied to pro-Japanese collaboration). The grand prize is then decided by combining votes from the 100-member Support Group and from general readers, including book-funding participants; if no work wins a majority, a runoff vote follows.
Q. Who judges the Kim Hak-cheol Literary Award?
Rather than a fixed panel of judges, the grand prize is decided by a vote combining the 100-member Support Group and general readers who take part through avenues such as book funding.