The Writers Association of Korea says Han Kang’s recognition with a Nobel Prize in Literature is a blessing for literary language.

The association, one of the nation’s most prominent writers’ groups, said in a statement Friday that the latest feat is a reminder of the role that literature plays in exploring the nature of human existence. 

The statement said Han reconstructed long-distorted historical events using fictional truths, bringing back to the surface the memories of those who had been forgotten or humiliated. 

The group went on to say that Han’s work pleads for life and peace, digging deeper into the same questions that her Korean literary forebears raised before her. 

Han’s achievement demonstrates that Korean literature has a clear role to play in world literature, the statement said.