Han Kang calls for change of course in 'age of hate'

Nobel laureate Han Kang on Wednesday called the deepening hatred in Korea and around the world "a challenge we must overcome," stressing the need to move forward beyond this division.

Han made the remarks as she met Korean reporters on the sidelines of the Avignon Festival, one of the world's most prestigious performing arts festivals, where Korean has been invited as an official language to mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and France.

"How we can overcome the issue of hatred is an important challenge for us," Han said.

"We are at a time, in which we have to put our heads together to discuss how we can change the course and move forward in another direction." In such a context, Han noted the recent controversy surrounding a Seoul high school baseball, which came under fire and eventually received a six-month ban for deriding opponents with trash talk.

Baseball players at Pai Chai High School yelled slogans, such as "Let's go to Starbucks!" and "Tank Day!" at their opponents from Gwangju Jeil High School during a late June tournament game in Seoul.

Their chants w ...