Ku bon-seung wins translation prize for Danyao fiction

Ku Bon-seung won the Kevin O’Rourke Prize in the 57th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards for his English translation of the work Giraffe Is the Name of the World.

Ku started translating fiction to share stories with friends who could not read Korean. After reading a novella by the writer Danyao in the summer of 2025, Ku requested permission to translate the text. The author of the work suggested that Ku translate the entire collection instead.

Ku describes translation as a form of testimony. He believes a translator must take responsibility for conveying a complete experience that a summary cannot capture. He stated in an interview with The Korea Times that he felt a responsibility to provide a full translation rather than suggesting his friends use translation tools.