Professor Ko Myung-cheol (Department of Korean Language and Literature) Participates
as Co-Executive Chair of ‘DMZ World Literature Festa 2026’
Professor Ko Myung-cheol of the Department of Korean Language and Literature at our university participated as Co-Executive Chair in the 'DMZ World Literature Festa 2026', held from Friday, March 27 to Sunday, March 29 at DMZ Camp Greaves and Paju Book City.
As a literary critic actively engaged in research and criticism of world literature and Korean literature, Professor Ko took part in the event as Co-Executive Chair, leading the overall planning and operation of the festival.
This event is an international literary festival designed to reflect on the meaning of division and peace through literature, set against the symbolic backdrop of the DMZ, and to expand exchanges among writers from Korea and abroad. The event featured Nobel Prize-winning author Svetlana Alexievich, along with nine renowned international writers from Palestine, South Africa, Argentina, Germany, the United States, the Philippines, and Japan, as well as around 150 Korean writers.
Professor Ko stated, “The DMZ is a space that symbolizes the wounds and suffering of the division of the Korean Peninsula, but also a place where new relationships can be explored through literature,” adding, “I hope this event will not remain a one-time occasion, but will serve as an opportunity to expand the possibilities of solidarity and coexistence among writers worldwide.”
Meanwhile, prior to the event, a planning symposium was held on Friday, March 13 at Hanul Hall on campus. At the symposium, poet Do Jong-hwan, former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, attended and shared the purpose and significance of the DMZ World Literature Festa 2026.
