Lee Su-hwan, Kim Dong-wook, Kwon Eun-mi win Munhakdongne Rookie Award

Lee Su-hwan, Kim Dong-wook and Kwon Eun-mi have been named winners of the 2026 Munhakdongne Rookie Award.

Munhakdongne announced Friday the winning works in each category: Lee's poem "End and Beginning" and four other pieces in the poetry category, Kim's short story "Hana and the One Inside Hana" in the fiction category, and Kwon's critical essay "Holding the Most Universal Sorrow, to You — On Ko Seon-gyeong" in the criticism category.

Judges praised Lee, 25, for poetry that left "a sharp and resolute aftertaste despite clearly chewing on something warm and soft — which made us read it again and again."

Kim, 31, was described as having written a short story "woven with multiple layers of winding hidden narratives, places and emotions — one that reads, particularly to me, as a work long preoccupied with time and perspective."

Kwon, 35, received praise for criticism described as "a piece of classical truth, goodness and beauty, where the logic of mature thought and the precision of the prose achieve perfect harmony."

The winning works and judges' comments will appear in the autumn 2026 issue of the quarterly literary journal Munhakdongne.