The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold the 2026 Korea Literature Festival, aimed at spreading literature's value for social connection and emotional healing, from Friday to Sept. 20. The event, in partnership with the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, Arts Council Korea, the Korea Publishing Culture Industry Promotion Agency, the National Museum of Korean Literature and the International PEN Korea Center, will be held in Seoul's Daehangno district and other venues nationwide. Now in its second year, the festival also aims to to build a literary ecosystem linking writers, readers and local communities. Actress Go Ah-sung is serving as the festival's honorary ambassador. The Seoul International Writers' Festival, one of several events under the festival's umbrella, opens Friday at Ara Art Center in Insa-dong with a conversation between Korean novelist Kim Ae-ran, known for the novel "My Brilliant Life," and Chilean author Benjamin Labatut, a finalist for the 2021 International Booker Prize. Ten additional writers from eight countries, including South African Booker