An official poster for the LTI Korea's exhibition "Translation, Platform." Courtesy of LTI KoreaSEOUL, South Korea -- This month, to celebrate its quarter-century of work, the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) will host an exhibition called “Translation, Platform” that focuses on over a century of Korean literary translations. The story begins with the translation of the iconic folk tale “Chunhyangjeon” into French in 1892. The exhibition runs through May 27 at Seoul’s K Museum of Contemporary Art in Gangnam. A virtual version will be available until the end of the year on the LTI Korea’s website.

A series of lectures and recitals featuring different translators and writers will be hosted throughout the exhibition. Speakers include Cho Hae-jin, author of “I Met Loh Kiwan,” and Darcy Paquet, a translator specializing in Korean cinema best known for his English subtitles for the Oscar-winning film “Parasite.”

LTI Korea, first established in 1996 under the name Korean Literature Translation Fund and later re-launched in 2001 in its current form, has served as a bridgehead to expand worldwide readership of Korean literature over the last 25 years.

The organization has directed state-level efforts to support the publication of more than 1,500 Korean literary works worldwide through partnerships, grants and awards that recognize the contributions of translators. It also concentrates on training professional and aspiring translators, especially in minority language groups, at its academy. Last year, the agency attempted to expand the range of its translated content to films and “webtoons” for the first time by opening a Media Translation Contest.