 
 South Korean literature is literature written or produced in South Korea following the division of Korea into North and South in 1945. [1] South Korean literature is primarily written in Korean.
|   | 
| Part of a series on the | 
| Culture of Korea | 
|---|
| Society | 
| Arts and literature | 
| Other | 
| Symbols | 
| 
 | 
Also referred as 'pure literature' in South Korea. Most authors translated by the Korea Literature Translation Institute for translation falls into this category. The terminology is often criticized, and is a constant theme of discussion in the literature of South Korea.
Some of the notable[ according to whom? ] Korean mainstream fiction writers include:
There are also Korean-American writers writing in Korean, e.g. Kim Yong-ik.
This term, the popular fiction, is defined as the mass market-targeted works, or as an opposite of the pureliterature. This terminology comes from the equivalent Japanese word. [2] [3] But since early 2000, the distinction between mainstream and pop became faint, and some mainstream authors like Gu Byeong-mo or Chung Serang are well-received in both genre, and there is a clear tendency of authors refuse to define themselves as the 'pure literature' author. [4]
Historical fiction, or alternative history fiction, is one of the largest selling genre in South Korea. For more serious works, authors like Jo Jung-rae and Park Wan-suh fall into this category. For lighter works, Kim Jin-myung, the author of The Rose of Sharon Blooms Again , is one of the best selling writers. The historical fiction of South Korea often covers the Joseon period and the colonial era. Lee In-hwi's novels often depict historical labor rights issues in South Korea in the 1980s and 1990s. [5]
Examples of South Korean fantasy writers and their works include:
Examples of South Korean sf writers and their works include:
Non-fiction essayists include Chang Young-hee.
Notable modern poets include Moon Deok-soo (문덕수, 文德守, b.1928), [6] Choi Nam-son (1890–1957) [7] and Kim Sowol, [8] Ki Hyung-do, Chon Sang-pyong.