An Overview of 120 years of Korean Literature Translation in Russia and Its Implications for Korean Studies

This study provides an overview of 120 years of translation of Korean literature in Russia. The analysis sheds light on Korean literature in translation as an accomplishment of Korean studies and provides suggestions for the development of Korean studies in Russia. A total of 333 Korean works of literature have been translated so far. The characteristics of the translation are as follows: 1) the novel is the most translated genre, and translation of the contemporary novel has increased significantly since the establishment of the diplomatic relationship between Korea and Russia, resulting in a lack of diversity in terms of genre; 2) the scope of authors has expanded greatly since the diplomatic relationship, but more authors need to be discovered in the classical novel and poetry genres; 3) co-translation between Korean and Russian increased after the diplomatic relationship, but most collaborations have been one-off events, and Koreans need to participate more in the translation of classics; and 4) few major publishers have published 30% of the total Korean literature translations available on the market, while 70% of translations have been conducted by other publishers as a one-time event. Based on the analysis, the study suggests as follows: 1) more diverse genres of Korean literature need to be translated; 2) more Korean studies related scholarly books need to be published; 3) translation of classical literature needs to be revitalized by fostering translators specialized in Korean classical literature; and 4) more professional translators and publishers specialized in Korean literature need to be nurtured.