With a five-decade-long writing career and Korea’s most prestigious literary prizes under his belt, Hwang Sok-yong is unmatched in depicting the social and political realities of his ruptured homeland. A staunch promoter of the arts, he spent years in exile and prison. It’s a rare honour to welcome him to the Festival, discussing his remarkable life and International Booker Prize-shortlisted Mater 2-10: a magical-realist epic traversing a century of Korean history. Chaired by Daniel Hahn.