2025 8th Korea Science Literature Award Winners Collection
 |
Description
Book Introduction
- A word from MD
-
The emergence of new talent representing Korean science fictionScience fiction has now become a solid pillar of the Korean literary world.
The Korea Science Literature Award, which has produced major authors such as Kim Cho-yeop and Cheon Seon-ran, continues its journey for the 8th time this year.
We've reduced the number of winners from five to three, and included essays from the award-winning authors to provide a deeper look into their new world.
September 26, 2025. Novel/Poetry PD Kim Yu-ri
The birthplace of Korea's leading science fiction writers, including Kim Cho-yeop, Cheon Seon-ran, and Cheong Ye.
Publication of the 2025 8th Korea Science Literature Award Collection
"Through this novel, we
As I carefully turn the pages of time,
“You can travel to a world beyond the records.”
_From the review comments
The birthplace of Korea's leading science fiction writers, including Kim Cho-yeop, Cheon Seon-ran, and Cheong Ye.
Publication of the 2025 8th Korea Science Literature Award Collection
The 2025 8th Korean Science Literature Award Collection was published by Hubble.
The Korea Science Fiction Literature Award has established itself as the nation's best and only gateway to science fiction writers, producing writers like Kim Cho-yeop, Cheon Seon-ran, and Cheong Ye, who are pioneering new paths in Korean science fiction.
And as the 8th annual Korea Science Literature Award approaches in 2025, changes have been made to the award this year.
For short stories, the number of winners was changed from five to three, focusing more on each writer.
Additionally, unlike previous rounds, this year we will be accepting submissions of two or more works instead of just one, which will further increase the credibility of the participating writers.
This is the background to the judges' comment, "We were able to encounter works that were well-balanced in terms of individuality and writing skills, without relying on just one idea" (novelist Kim Seong-jung).
Moreover, the application process was not limited to new writers, but was also open to established writers.
Thus, the level of the submitted works was so outstanding that one judge said, “Usually, the preliminary round focuses on weeding out the less good works rather than appreciating the good ones, but this preliminary round had the rare experience of ‘appreciating’ the submitted works” (critic Inayoung In).
This is why this year's award-winning works, selected through a fierce competition among the outstanding entries, have been acclaimed as being among the best ever.
In keeping with these changes, the 『2025 8th Korean Science Literature Award Collection』 has been redesigned with a new format and design.
The format has become much more compact and convenient.
The captivating cover image is in line with that of the Korean Science Literature Award representative anthology, 『Holding the Fragmented Universe』 (Kim Cho-yeop, Cheon Seon-ran, Kim Hye-yoon, Cheong Ye, Jo Seo-wol), which was published in June and created a buzz at this year's Seoul International Book Fair, and contains the hope and expectation that the award-winning authors will become representative Korean science fiction writers.
This collection contains one winning work each from award-winning authors Go Seon-woo, Lee Yeon-pa, and Choi Jang-wook, and what is noteworthy is that it includes essays by the authors.
The essay, titled "SF and Life," is not simply the author's words. At 30 pages, it's a generously sized volume, offering a glimpse into the award-winning authors' candid, candid, and witty reflections. It will be a welcome resource not only for SF readers but also for future SF writers.
This small book, with its well-balanced content and format, will allow us to explore the currents of contemporary Korean science fiction in 2025, as well as savor the unique aesthetics of each distinctive and distinctive short story.
Publication of the 2025 8th Korea Science Literature Award Collection
"Through this novel, we
As I carefully turn the pages of time,
“You can travel to a world beyond the records.”
_From the review comments
The birthplace of Korea's leading science fiction writers, including Kim Cho-yeop, Cheon Seon-ran, and Cheong Ye.
Publication of the 2025 8th Korea Science Literature Award Collection
The 2025 8th Korean Science Literature Award Collection was published by Hubble.
The Korea Science Fiction Literature Award has established itself as the nation's best and only gateway to science fiction writers, producing writers like Kim Cho-yeop, Cheon Seon-ran, and Cheong Ye, who are pioneering new paths in Korean science fiction.
And as the 8th annual Korea Science Literature Award approaches in 2025, changes have been made to the award this year.
For short stories, the number of winners was changed from five to three, focusing more on each writer.
Additionally, unlike previous rounds, this year we will be accepting submissions of two or more works instead of just one, which will further increase the credibility of the participating writers.
This is the background to the judges' comment, "We were able to encounter works that were well-balanced in terms of individuality and writing skills, without relying on just one idea" (novelist Kim Seong-jung).
Moreover, the application process was not limited to new writers, but was also open to established writers.
Thus, the level of the submitted works was so outstanding that one judge said, “Usually, the preliminary round focuses on weeding out the less good works rather than appreciating the good ones, but this preliminary round had the rare experience of ‘appreciating’ the submitted works” (critic Inayoung In).
This is why this year's award-winning works, selected through a fierce competition among the outstanding entries, have been acclaimed as being among the best ever.
In keeping with these changes, the 『2025 8th Korean Science Literature Award Collection』 has been redesigned with a new format and design.
The format has become much more compact and convenient.
The captivating cover image is in line with that of the Korean Science Literature Award representative anthology, 『Holding the Fragmented Universe』 (Kim Cho-yeop, Cheon Seon-ran, Kim Hye-yoon, Cheong Ye, Jo Seo-wol), which was published in June and created a buzz at this year's Seoul International Book Fair, and contains the hope and expectation that the award-winning authors will become representative Korean science fiction writers.
This collection contains one winning work each from award-winning authors Go Seon-woo, Lee Yeon-pa, and Choi Jang-wook, and what is noteworthy is that it includes essays by the authors.
The essay, titled "SF and Life," is not simply the author's words. At 30 pages, it's a generously sized volume, offering a glimpse into the award-winning authors' candid, candid, and witty reflections. It will be a welcome resource not only for SF readers but also for future SF writers.
This small book, with its well-balanced content and format, will allow us to explore the currents of contemporary Korean science fiction in 2025, as well as savor the unique aesthetics of each distinctive and distinctive short story.
- You can preview some of the book's contents.
Preview
index
Go Seon-woo Kanat 7
Essay Just Because I'm Human: Thoughts from Last Summer 37
57 on the old eastern shore of Lee Yeon-pa
Essay 103: The Evolution of Gravel in the 2020s
Choi Jang-wook's Creation Engine 117
Essay: Transcendental Crimes of the Present, Not the Future, and the Power of Science Fiction 173
2025 8th Korea Science Literature Award Review 185
Kim Sung-joong, Kim Hee-sun, Kang Ji-hee, and In Ah-young
Essay Just Because I'm Human: Thoughts from Last Summer 37
57 on the old eastern shore of Lee Yeon-pa
Essay 103: The Evolution of Gravel in the 2020s
Choi Jang-wook's Creation Engine 117
Essay: Transcendental Crimes of the Present, Not the Future, and the Power of Science Fiction 173
2025 8th Korea Science Literature Award Review 185
Kim Sung-joong, Kim Hee-sun, Kang Ji-hee, and In Ah-young
Detailed image
Into the book
At that time, I thought of my grandfather.
I imagined my grandfather sitting on the highest chair on the farm.
The guards line up in front of him and salute, and the grandfather draws his gun and fires at one of them.
Then the fallen guard starts to tremble and transform into an alien.
--- p.15 From "Qanat"
Oasis acquired a bio-robotics startup and, after a long period of research and development, presented hybrid bio-robotic technology that robotizes parts of the human body's organs and limbs.
A report was immediately published in the academic world that this technology could significantly reduce the human body's dependence on water.
--- p.18 From "Qanat"
I thought of the shade of a slow afternoon, lying with my grandfather's arm as my pillow.
The wind gently blew my hair back and forth across my forehead.
Where am I flowing to now?
My grandfather, who had never gone against the current in his entire life, must have gone against the current as he held us in his arms at the end.
I heard my own breathing.
--- p.33 From "Qanat"
“Will you teach me?”
They were able to reach out to others.
By doing so, we became connected to one another, resolved our ignorance as a single human being, and abolished our limitations.
It was a truly perfect expansion, with each existing as an organism and therefore needing no separate power source.
--- p.79 From “On the Old Eastern Waterfront”
Time travel was a kind of reading.
To be precise, it is a rental or borrowing with a fixed period of time.
That was according to a barely reached agreement at the turn of the 26th century, after half a century of bitter debate.
And it was a far cry from the early concepts of the 25th century, when time travel was becoming commercially viable and open to private enterprise.
--- pp.88-89 From "On the Old Eastern Waterfront"
It was an undeniable fact that Haneul-i-rgi had been living here for 1,198 days.
Even if I returned right now, those 1,198 days wouldn't be erased.
An indelible record would remain as evidence of those days.
Not only the logs stored in the digital memory of 'Wings', but also the memories engraved in the cerebral cortex of an individual called Sky.
Therefore, the 1,198 days in Silla would always be with Haneul-ireugi for the rest of his life.
--- pp.91-92 From "On the Old Eastern Waterfront"
Although he failed to find a job in his major, he found a way to make money in a hobby related to his major.
That was the creative engine.
At that time, he had almost abandoned his studies, which he considered useless, and was completely absorbed in playing with the creation engine.
--- p.122 From "Creation Engine"
Other rare minerals also took on phenotypes that seemed to reflect the characteristics of minerals as perceived by the human world: titanite appeared as a hero, amethyst as a bard, gypsum as a painter, and carbonate as a doctor or cook.
Interestingly, minerals such as quartz also took on the unexpected shape of a pretty boy.
The rider was engrossed in creating phenotypes of various minerals and testing countless combinations, losing his mind for a while.
As if the act of creation through Origin was all there was to it.
--- p.128 From "Creation Engine"
“For the now disbanded Minden Engine development team, Ratel, and for the rider who unknowingly played the biggest role in the development of the Minden Engine!”
I imagined my grandfather sitting on the highest chair on the farm.
The guards line up in front of him and salute, and the grandfather draws his gun and fires at one of them.
Then the fallen guard starts to tremble and transform into an alien.
--- p.15 From "Qanat"
Oasis acquired a bio-robotics startup and, after a long period of research and development, presented hybrid bio-robotic technology that robotizes parts of the human body's organs and limbs.
A report was immediately published in the academic world that this technology could significantly reduce the human body's dependence on water.
--- p.18 From "Qanat"
I thought of the shade of a slow afternoon, lying with my grandfather's arm as my pillow.
The wind gently blew my hair back and forth across my forehead.
Where am I flowing to now?
My grandfather, who had never gone against the current in his entire life, must have gone against the current as he held us in his arms at the end.
I heard my own breathing.
--- p.33 From "Qanat"
“Will you teach me?”
They were able to reach out to others.
By doing so, we became connected to one another, resolved our ignorance as a single human being, and abolished our limitations.
It was a truly perfect expansion, with each existing as an organism and therefore needing no separate power source.
--- p.79 From “On the Old Eastern Waterfront”
Time travel was a kind of reading.
To be precise, it is a rental or borrowing with a fixed period of time.
That was according to a barely reached agreement at the turn of the 26th century, after half a century of bitter debate.
And it was a far cry from the early concepts of the 25th century, when time travel was becoming commercially viable and open to private enterprise.
--- pp.88-89 From "On the Old Eastern Waterfront"
It was an undeniable fact that Haneul-i-rgi had been living here for 1,198 days.
Even if I returned right now, those 1,198 days wouldn't be erased.
An indelible record would remain as evidence of those days.
Not only the logs stored in the digital memory of 'Wings', but also the memories engraved in the cerebral cortex of an individual called Sky.
Therefore, the 1,198 days in Silla would always be with Haneul-ireugi for the rest of his life.
--- pp.91-92 From "On the Old Eastern Waterfront"
Although he failed to find a job in his major, he found a way to make money in a hobby related to his major.
That was the creative engine.
At that time, he had almost abandoned his studies, which he considered useless, and was completely absorbed in playing with the creation engine.
--- p.122 From "Creation Engine"
Other rare minerals also took on phenotypes that seemed to reflect the characteristics of minerals as perceived by the human world: titanite appeared as a hero, amethyst as a bard, gypsum as a painter, and carbonate as a doctor or cook.
Interestingly, minerals such as quartz also took on the unexpected shape of a pretty boy.
The rider was engrossed in creating phenotypes of various minerals and testing countless combinations, losing his mind for a while.
As if the act of creation through Origin was all there was to it.
--- p.128 From "Creation Engine"
“For the now disbanded Minden Engine development team, Ratel, and for the rider who unknowingly played the biggest role in the development of the Minden Engine!”
--- p.154 From "Creation Engine"
Publisher's Review
“Through this novel, we
As I carefully turn the pages of time,
“You can travel to a world beyond the records.”
_From the review comments
"Qanat" "Old East Waterfront" "Creation Engine".
These three award-winning novels each exude their own unique charm, offering artistic quality, reading pleasure, and insight into the human and non-human.
A single book contains the possibilities and diversity that science fiction can unfold.
“It took me two months to recover from the surgery.
Isaac's body was more alive than before, and the minor injuries had disappeared.
There was no case of the water supply device suddenly decreasing.
However, I occasionally had difficulty remembering names or place names, and developed minor forgetfulness.” (p. 23, “Qanat”)
Go Seon-woo's "Qanat" is set in a desert dystopia where life can only be sustained by supplying water through an underground waterway, "Qanat," which is also the title of the novel.
The work alternates between showing the protagonist Isaac's childhood in odd-numbered chapters and his present-day work as a rider for the 'Oasis' group, which carries water, in even-numbered chapters. Eventually, his body becomes roboticized so that he no longer needs water, and he loses his human body.
This novel, which writes about ecology, labor, class, childhood, and memory, and is characterized by a poignant writing style, received favorable reviews such as “refined and clean sentences, a development without unnecessary details, a deep and philosophical theme, and a sharp perspective that reflects on society” (novelist Kim Hee-sun), “a writing style that inspires trust from the beginning and the ability to craft an atmosphere” (critic Kang Ji-hee), and “the first few pages alone have already won the award in my mind” (critic In Ah-young).
Especially, as can be seen in the comment “The last scene that touches the heart” (novelist Kim Hee-sun), we will have no choice but to read the novel to the end, holding our breath.
“Therefore, the affection I felt for the people living in Seorabeol, the capital of Silla in the 6th century, and its glittering city, was a feeling of perfect, even more than 100 percent, heavenly love.
“Damn, if it was love, there was no way.” (p. 93, “On the Old East Bank”)
Lee Yeon-pa's "Old East Coast" is an adventure epic that unfolds when 26th-century researcher Han So-dam is "time-warped" to the 6th-century Silla Dynasty.
Han So-dam, who travels to the Silla Dynasty to analyze the changes in the brightness of a star to find the possibility of extraterrestrial life, lives as a nun named 'Haneul-ireugi' and forms friendships with the Hwarang.
And then one day, for some reason, a satellite, on fire, crashes down toward the Silla royal palace.
"At the Old Eastern Waterside," a fascinating science fiction reinterpretation of a passage from "Samguk Yusa," is also a tantalizing story about what would happen if a scientist became an anthropologist.
The book received favorable reviews, including “lively SF,” “evidence that she is a well-prepared writer” (novelist Kim Hee-sun), “the writer’s curiosity and wit in approaching the various aspects of humanity” (critic Kang Ji-hee), and “the lingering feeling created by the intersection of ancient records and future minds” (critic In Ah-young).
“The rider wanted to create a civilization using ‘eggs.’
A machine civilization, like the civilization that gave eggs to the Obscure.
(…) Then, interestingly enough, the nanorobots began to display their ranks based on the value of minerals as perceived by the human world, just as the previous gold robot colony had done.” (p. 128, “Creation Engine”)
Choi Jang-wook's "Creation Engine" is the story of 'Gisu', a job seeker and amateur developer who develops his own creation engine with his spare energy and dreamy ambition.
A chance discovery of a system bug triggers the emergence of a new, systematic civilization from the egg-shaped nanorobot manufacturing device left behind by the APC civilization. The nanorobot colonies develop into different civilizations, and conflict between civilizations spreads.
The novel is notable for its allegorical, detailed structure, showing how the seeds of disorder spread in autonomous and dynamic directions.
It received praise for its “unique resonance” (Kim Hee-sun), “energy and potential” (critic In-a-young), along with comments such as “the story unfolds lively” and “the most satisfying genre-wise” (Kim Seong-jung), which were all tightly crafted with scientific settings and language.
"Creation Engine" will be "a novel-like, small spectacle for readers interested in games, and a fun, twist-filled comedy for readers unfamiliar with games" (critic Kang Ji-hee).
How about navigating 2025 with these solid and compelling science fiction novels?
As I carefully turn the pages of time,
“You can travel to a world beyond the records.”
_From the review comments
"Qanat" "Old East Waterfront" "Creation Engine".
These three award-winning novels each exude their own unique charm, offering artistic quality, reading pleasure, and insight into the human and non-human.
A single book contains the possibilities and diversity that science fiction can unfold.
“It took me two months to recover from the surgery.
Isaac's body was more alive than before, and the minor injuries had disappeared.
There was no case of the water supply device suddenly decreasing.
However, I occasionally had difficulty remembering names or place names, and developed minor forgetfulness.” (p. 23, “Qanat”)
Go Seon-woo's "Qanat" is set in a desert dystopia where life can only be sustained by supplying water through an underground waterway, "Qanat," which is also the title of the novel.
The work alternates between showing the protagonist Isaac's childhood in odd-numbered chapters and his present-day work as a rider for the 'Oasis' group, which carries water, in even-numbered chapters. Eventually, his body becomes roboticized so that he no longer needs water, and he loses his human body.
This novel, which writes about ecology, labor, class, childhood, and memory, and is characterized by a poignant writing style, received favorable reviews such as “refined and clean sentences, a development without unnecessary details, a deep and philosophical theme, and a sharp perspective that reflects on society” (novelist Kim Hee-sun), “a writing style that inspires trust from the beginning and the ability to craft an atmosphere” (critic Kang Ji-hee), and “the first few pages alone have already won the award in my mind” (critic In Ah-young).
Especially, as can be seen in the comment “The last scene that touches the heart” (novelist Kim Hee-sun), we will have no choice but to read the novel to the end, holding our breath.
“Therefore, the affection I felt for the people living in Seorabeol, the capital of Silla in the 6th century, and its glittering city, was a feeling of perfect, even more than 100 percent, heavenly love.
“Damn, if it was love, there was no way.” (p. 93, “On the Old East Bank”)
Lee Yeon-pa's "Old East Coast" is an adventure epic that unfolds when 26th-century researcher Han So-dam is "time-warped" to the 6th-century Silla Dynasty.
Han So-dam, who travels to the Silla Dynasty to analyze the changes in the brightness of a star to find the possibility of extraterrestrial life, lives as a nun named 'Haneul-ireugi' and forms friendships with the Hwarang.
And then one day, for some reason, a satellite, on fire, crashes down toward the Silla royal palace.
"At the Old Eastern Waterside," a fascinating science fiction reinterpretation of a passage from "Samguk Yusa," is also a tantalizing story about what would happen if a scientist became an anthropologist.
The book received favorable reviews, including “lively SF,” “evidence that she is a well-prepared writer” (novelist Kim Hee-sun), “the writer’s curiosity and wit in approaching the various aspects of humanity” (critic Kang Ji-hee), and “the lingering feeling created by the intersection of ancient records and future minds” (critic In Ah-young).
“The rider wanted to create a civilization using ‘eggs.’
A machine civilization, like the civilization that gave eggs to the Obscure.
(…) Then, interestingly enough, the nanorobots began to display their ranks based on the value of minerals as perceived by the human world, just as the previous gold robot colony had done.” (p. 128, “Creation Engine”)
Choi Jang-wook's "Creation Engine" is the story of 'Gisu', a job seeker and amateur developer who develops his own creation engine with his spare energy and dreamy ambition.
A chance discovery of a system bug triggers the emergence of a new, systematic civilization from the egg-shaped nanorobot manufacturing device left behind by the APC civilization. The nanorobot colonies develop into different civilizations, and conflict between civilizations spreads.
The novel is notable for its allegorical, detailed structure, showing how the seeds of disorder spread in autonomous and dynamic directions.
It received praise for its “unique resonance” (Kim Hee-sun), “energy and potential” (critic In-a-young), along with comments such as “the story unfolds lively” and “the most satisfying genre-wise” (Kim Seong-jung), which were all tightly crafted with scientific settings and language.
"Creation Engine" will be "a novel-like, small spectacle for readers interested in games, and a fun, twist-filled comedy for readers unfamiliar with games" (critic Kang Ji-hee).
How about navigating 2025 with these solid and compelling science fiction novels?
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: September 19, 2025
- Page count, weight, size: 216 pages | 210g | 114*188*12mm
- ISBN13: 9791193078662
You may also like
카테고리
korean
korean
![ELLE 엘르 스페셜 에디션 A형 : 12월 [2025]](http://librairie.coreenne.fr/cdn/shop/files/b8e27a3de6c9538896439686c6b0e8fb.jpg?v=1766436872&width=3840)
