Han Kang Novels Top Korea's Bestseller List of the Decade

The top two best-selling books in South Korea over the past decade are both novels by author Han Kang, according to new data.

Ahead of World Book and Copyright Day on April 23, Kyobo Book Centre on Wednesday released its cumulative bestseller rankings for the past 10 years, covering combined online and offline sales from April 17, 2016, to April 16, 2026. Han Kang's "The Vegetarian" ranked first, followed by "Human Acts" in second place.

"The Vegetarian," a linked short story collection Han published in 2007, drew intense reader interest in May 2016 when Han became the first Korean to win the Man Booker International Prize for the work. The "Han Kang fever" that followed the award propelled "The Vegetarian" to the top of the weekly combined bestseller rankings for 12 consecutive weeks, making it the best-selling book of that year.

The Han Kang fever sparked by the Man Booker Prize resurged in 2024 when Han became the first Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Among her novels, "Human Acts" (2014), which deals with the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising, led the "second wave," topping the annual bestseller rankings in both 2024 and 2025.

"The Man Booker Prize was announced just after the tracking period began, so 'The Vegetarian' leads in 10-year cumulative sales," a Kyobo Book Centre official said. "If you narrow the timeframe to more recent years, 'Human Acts' has sold more."

Han's novel "We Do Not Part" (2021), which addresses the Jeju April 3 Incident, also drew reader attention after winning the Prix Médicis for foreign literature in France in 2023 and the National Book Critics Circle Award this year. The novel ranked eighth on the 10-year cumulative bestseller list.

Including Han's three novels, six of the top 10 best-selling books were Korean novels.

Kim Ho-yeon's "The Uncanny Convenience Store," Lee Mi-ye's "Dallergut Dream Department Store," and Yang Gui-ja's "Contradiction" ranked fifth through seventh, respectively.

The self-help book "Seno's Teachings" came in third, Lee Ki-joo's essay collection "The Temperature of Language" fourth, Kim Soo-hyun's essay "I Decided to Live as Myself" ninth, and "Winnie the Pooh, Happiness Happens Every Day" tenth.

World Book and Copyright Day originated from the fact that April 23 marks the death anniversaries of both literary giants William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes.