Poster for the third International Congress of Writers Writing in Korean. (PEN Korea)

An event celebrating Korean-language literature by writers from around the world kicked off Tuesday in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.

The third International Congress of Writers Writing in Korean will run until Friday at the city’s Hwabaek International Convention Center.

Some 63 writers from 17 countries are participating in this year’s event organized under the theme, “Korean literature, dreaming of peace in the global world,” to discuss Korean-language literature’s significance and globalization.

Wednesday’s seminar series will see Korean poet Ko Un, German professor Albrecht Huwe, who has studied Korean literature for 45 years, and Japanese professor Omura Masuo, an honorary professor at Waseda University who first discovered the grave of poet Yun Dong-ju in Manchuria.

On Thursday, poets Shin Kyeong-nim and Yoo Ahn-jin will deliver lectures titled “Korean poetry’s past and future” and “Korean, the alphabet all languages dream about,” respectively.

“Korean literature serves as a mirror of the times. It should communicate with the world and strengthen the spirit,” said Son Hae-il, director of the Korean branch of PEN International, a global association that promotes literature and defends freedom of expression. PEN Korea is the host of the event.

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)