List of Korean Nobel laureates and nominees explained

, the Nobel Prize has been awarded to 975 people and 27 organizations since it was founded in 1901.^[1], only one Korean has become a Nobel laureate: South Korean President Kim Dae-jung.

Kim was awarded the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to push for national reconciliation between the divided Koreas during a summit meeting in Pyongyang.^{[2] [3]} One American who was born in South Korea to non-Korean parents, Charles J. Pedersen, won the 1987 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.^{[4] [5]}

Despite only having one Nobel laureate, numerous North and South Korean individuals (both citizens within the country and living in diasporic communities) and organizations have been nominated for the prize in any category.^{[6] [7]}

It was speculated that poor basic science education in school and universities was behind this, and steps were proposed to improve.^{[8] [9]} In 2022, President Yoon Suk-yeol voiced optimism over the future of the field of science in Korea, saying "Korea will have Nobel laureates soon."^[10] For comparison, Japan had 23 Nobel laureates in science .

Laureates

Year	Image	Laureate	Born	Died	Field	Citation
Citizens
2000		Kim Dae-jung [김대중]	6 January 1924 Hauido, South Jeolla, South Korea	18 August 2009 Seoul, South Korea	Peace	"for his work for democracy and human rights in South Korea and in East Asia in general, and for peace and reconciliation with North Korea in particular."^[11]
Diaspora
1987		Charles J. Pedersen	3 October 1904 Busan, South Korea	26 October 1989 Salem, New Jersey, United States	Chemistry	"for their development and use of molecules with structure-specific interactions of high selectivity."^[12] (jointly with American chemist Donald J. Cram and French chemist Jean-Marie Lehn)

Nominations

The first Korean to earn a nomination for the Nobel Prize was the poet Yi Gwangsu.^[13] Unfortunately he died in 1950, therefore his nomination was done posthumously and, according to the Nobel statutes, posthumous nominations are automatically disqualified during the committee's deliberations. Only living individuals and existing organizations are permitted to be nominated.^{[14] [15]} Since then, other Koreans began getting nominated for the prestigious Swedish prize in different categories. The following list are the nominees with verified nominations from the Nobel Committee and recognized international organizations. There are also other purported nominees whose nominations are yet to be verified since the archives are revealed 50 years after,^[14] among them:

• For Physics: Benjamin W. Lee (1935–1977), Moo-Young Han (1934–2016), Ihm Jisoon^[16] (born 1954), Noh Tae-won (born 1957) and Philip Kim^[17] (born 1967).
• For Chemistry: Yoon Nung-min (1927–2009), Kim Kimoon (born 1954), Ryoo Ryong (born 1955), Nam-Gyu Park (born 1960), Hyeon Taeghwan (born 1964) and YoungSoo Kim (born 1978).
• For Physiology or Medicine: Ho Wang Lee (1928–2022), Yu Myeong-Hee (born 1954), V. Narry Kim (born 1969) and Charles Lee (born 1969).
• For Literature: Kim Dongni (1913–1995), Hwang Sun-won^[18] (1915–2000), Seo Jeong-ju^[19] (1915–2000), Ku Sang (1919–2004), Pak Kyongni (1926–2008), Park Wan-suh (1931–2011), Choe Inhun^[20] (1936–2018), Ko Un^[21] (born 1933), Claudia Lee Hae-in^[22] (born 1933), Hwang Sok-yong^[22] (born 1943), Yi Munyeol^[23] (born 1948), Kim Hyesoon (born 1955), Yi Seungu (born 1959), Shin Kyung-sook (born 1963), Kim Young-ha^[23] (born 1968) and Han Kang^[24] (born 1970).
• For Peace: Chang Chun-ha (1918–1975), Kim Yong-ki (1908–1988), Chang Kee-ryo (1911–1995), Lee Tai-young (1914–1998), Lee Jong-wook (1945–2006), Archbp. Stephen Kim Sou-hwan (1922–2009), Park Won-soon (1955–2020), Han Seung-soo (born 1936), Ban Ki-moon^[25] (born 1944), John Woong-Jin Oh (born 1944), Kim Jong-ki (born 1947), Moon Jae-in (born 1953), Pomnyun Sunim (born 1953), Kitack Lim (born 1956), and Kim Jung-un^[26] (born 1984).
• For Economics: Hyun-Song Shin (born 1959) and Ha-Joon Chang (born 1963).

Nominees

Image	Nominee	Born	Died	Years Nominated	Citation	Nominator(s)
Physiology or Medicine
	Bun-ichi Hasama			1938	"for his work on changes in the electropotential of active endocrine glands."^[27]	Albrecht Bethe (1872–1954)
Literature
	Yi Gwangsu [이광수] (posthumously nominated)	1 February 1892 in Chongju, North Pyongan, North Korea	25 October 1950 in Manpo, Chagang, North Korea	1970	It Is Love (1909) Heartless (1917) Danjong Aesa (1929) Soil (1932)	Baek Cheol (1908–1985)
	Younghill Kang [강용흘]	5 June 1898 in Hongwon, South Hamgyong, North Korea	2 December 1972 in Satellite Beach, Florida, United States	1971	The Grass Roof (1931) The Happy Grove (1933) East Goes West: The Making of an Oriental Yankee (1937)^[28]	Robert Payne (1911–1983)
	Eun Kook Kim [김은국]	13 March 1932 in Hamhung, South Hamgyong, North Korea	23 June 2009 in Shutesbury, Massachusetts, United States	1971	The Martyred (1964) The Innocent (1968) Lost Names (1970) In Search of Lost Years (1985)^[29]	Baek Cheol (1908–1985)
	Pak Dujin [박두진]	10 March 1916 in Anseong, Gyeonggi, South Korea	16 September 1998 in Seoul, South Korea	1972	The Sun (1949) A Prayer at Noon (1953) A Human Jungle (1963) Chronicles of Water and Stone (1973)
	Kim Chi-ha [김지하]	4 February 1941 in Mokpo, South Jeolla, South Korea	8 May 2022 in Wonju, Gangwon, South Korea	1975	Cry of the People (1974) The Gold Crowned Jesus (1978) The Middle Hour (1980) Heart's Agony (1998)^[30]
Peace
	Ham Seok-heon [함석헌]	13 March 1901 Yomju, North Pyongan, North Korea	4 February 1989 Seoul, South Korea	1979, 1985	"for his lifelong commitment to peace and democracy, becoming an important Asian voice for human rights and non-violence known as 'seed idea' (ssi-al sasang)."^[31] ^[32]	American Friends Service Committee
	6 Korean women (part of the 1000 PeaceWomen)	began in 2003 in Bern, Switzerland		2005	"in recognition of women's efforts and visibility in promoting peace all over the world."	Ruth-Gaby Vermont-Mangold (b. 1941)
	Marianne Stöger	24 April 1934 Matrei am Brenner, Tyrol, Austria		2017, 2020	"for their four decades of work on Sorok Island, looking after Hansen's disease patients with all their hearts."^[33] ^[34]	Kim Hwang-sik (born 1948)
	Margaritha Pissarek	1935 Austria

Nominators

The following Korean individuals became qualified nominators of local and foreign contenders for the Nobel Prize in any category:^[35]

Image	Nominator	Born	Died	Nominee	Motivation	Year Nominated
Literature
	Baek Cheol [백철]	18 March 1908 Uiju, North Pyongan, North Korea	13 October 1985 Seoul, South Korea	Yi Gwangsu (1892–1950)	It Is Love (1909) Heartless (1917) Danjong Aesa (1929) Soil (1932)	1970^[36]
				Eun Kook Kim (1932–2009)	The Martyred (1964) The Innocent (1968) Lost Names (1970) In Search of Lost Years (1985)	1971
				Pak Dujin (1916–1998)	The Sun (1949) A Prayer at Noon (1953) A Human Jungle (1963) Chronicles of Water and Stone (1973)	1972^[37]
Peace
	Mun Hui-sok		1977 South Korea	Universal Esperanto Association (founded in 1908)	"for their contribution to eliminating misunderstandings, suspicion and hatred amongst nations through the international language Esperanto."	1962^[38]
	Rhee Hyo-sang [이효상]	14 January 1906 Jung, Daegu, North Gyeongsang, South Korea	18 June 1989 Seoul, South Korea	Hermann Gmeiner (1919–1986)	"for founding SOS Children's Villages, and through his work gathering millions of people in the cause of good will for abandoned children."	1965^[39]
	Hi Sup Chung			Spurgeon Milton Keeney (1893–1988)	"for having, throughout his life, strived for freedom of the individual and full development of human beings as persons and for continuously striving for human betterment, for the dignity of the individual and for the coming together of all people."	1969^[40]
	Lee Hai-rang			Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973)		1972^[41]
	Kim Jong-pil [김종필]	7 January 1926 South Chungcheong, South Korea	23 June 2018 Seoul, South Korea			1972
	Kim Hwang-sik [김황식]	9 August 1948 Jangseong, South Jeolla, South Korea		Marianne Stöger (born 1934)	"for their four decades of work on Sorok Island, looking after Hansen's disease patients with all their hearts."	2020
				Margaritha Pissarek (born 1935)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Alfred Nobel's will . 1 March 2024 . nobelprize.org . 27 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200627053525/https://www.nobelprize.org/alfred-nobel/alfred-nobels-will/ . live .
2. Web site: Howard W. French . 14 October 2000 . South Korean President Wins Nobel Peace Prize For Efforts to Heal Rift . 10 March 2023 . . 15 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315152329/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/14/world/south-korean-president-wins-nobel-peace-prize-for-efforts-to-heal-rift.html . live .
3. Web site: 13 October 2000 . Press release – The Nobel Peace Prize 2000 . 10 March 2023 . nobelprize.org . 16 July 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180716224325/https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2000/press.html . live .
4. Web site: 12 October 2014 . DJ와 또 한 명 … 노벨위원회엔 '한국 출생 수상자' 2명 기록 [DJ and another ... Nobel committee's record of two Korean-born winners] ]. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063539/http://mediaspider.joins.com/?art_id=A14101104858 . 4 March 2016 . 10 March 2023 . joins.com.
5. Web site: Charles J. Pedersen American chemist . 10 March 2023 . Encyclopedia Britannica . en . 12 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221212084636/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-J-Pedersen . live .
6. Web site: Jay Kim . 26 October 2015 . Why no Korean Nobel laureates? . 10 March 2023 . . 15 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315152335/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2015/10/305_189463.html . live .
7. Web site: . 11 November 2022 . When will S. Korea have its 2nd Nobel Laureate? . 10 March 2023 . YouTube . 15 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315152329/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYjlnDkAVx8 . live .
8. Web site: Baek Byung-yeul . 2 October 2018 . Poor basic science blamed for Korea's failure to produce Nobel Laureate . 10 March 2023 . . 15 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315152331/https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2018/10/129_256333.html . live .
9. Web site: Chon Shi-yong . 16 October 2015 . Let's try harder for Nobel Prize: The Korea Herald . 10 March 2023 . . 15 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315152329/https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/lets-try-harder-for-nobel-prize-the-korea-herald . live .
10. Web site: Nam Hyun-woo . 22 December 2022 . 'Korea will have Nobel laureate, Fields winners soon,' Yoon says . 10 March 2023 . . 15 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315152331/https://koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2022/12/356_342229.html . live .
11. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2000/summary/ The Nobel Peace Prize 2000
12. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1987/summary/ The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1987
13. https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/show_people.php?id=15250 Nomination archive – Kwang-Soo Lee
14. Web site: Nomination and selection of Nobel laureates. 10 March 2023. nobelprize.org. 30 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180330190322/https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/. live.
15. Web site: From the 1888 mix-up to the no-posthumous-honour rule, 5 interesting facts about the Nobel. 1 October 2022. 10 March 2023. The Economic Times. 15 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315152329/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/from-the-1888-mix-up-to-the-no-posthumous-honour-rule-5-interesting-facts-about-the-nobel/articleshow/94579511.cms?from=mdr. live.
16. Web site: Asia's Scientific Trailblazers: Ihm Jisoon. 19 July 2016. 10 March 2023. Asian Scientist. Nurfilzah Rohaidi. 15 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315152459/https://www.asianscientist.com/2016/07/features/asias-scientific-trailblazers-ihm-jisoon-postech-physics/. live.
17. Web site: Korean physicist should have won Nobel: experts. 1 December 2010. 10 March 2023. Korea JoongAng Daily. 15 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315152331/https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2929118. live.
18. Web site: Hwang Sun-won: one of the great Korean authors of the 21th century. 15 March 2016. 10 March 2023. Korea.net. 16 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230316014824/https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=133876. live.
19. Web site: Seo Jeong-ju: one of the great Korean poets. 17 May 2016. 10 March 2023. Korea.net. 15 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315152358/https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=133960. live.
20. Book: Reflections on a Mask: Two Novellas. 1931907056 .
21. Web site: Hopes high for Ko Un's chance for Nobel prize. 7 October 2010. 10 March 2023. The Korea Herald. 15 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315152329/https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20101007000754. live.
22. Web site: Who will win the 2022 Nobel Prize for Literature?. 6 October 2022. 10 March 2023. thefederal.com. Nawaid Anjum. 7 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221207082924/https://thefederal.com/features/who-will-win-the-2022-nobel-prize-for-literature-heres-our-guess/. live.
23. Web site: Why Korea wants Nobel Prize for literature. 23 September 2012. 10 March 2023. The Korea Times. 15 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315152344/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2012/09/176_120657.html. live.
24. Web site: For Nobel Prize. The Korea Times. 10 March 2023. 18 May 2016. 15 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315152347/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2016/05/202_205026.html. live.
25. Web site: Change looms for Nobel Peace Prize as chairman risks coup. 2 October 2014. 10 March 2023. Reuters. Alister Doyle, Balazs Koranyi and Alistair Scrutton. 15 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315152329/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nobel-prize/change-looms-for-nobel-peace-prize-as-chairman-risks-coup-idUSKCN0HR1GW20141002. live.
26. Web site: Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in are among the bookies' favourites for the Nobel Peace Prize. 5 October 2018. 10 March 2023. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Jack Kilbride. 15 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315152329/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-05/kim-jong-un-and-moon-jae-in-could-win-nobel-prize/10333120. live.
27. https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/show_people.php?id=3926 Nomination archive – Bun-ichi Hasama
28. https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/show_people.php?id=15711 Nomination archive – Younghill Kang
29. https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/show_people.php?id=15713 Nomination archive – Richard Eun Kook Kim
30. Web site: Poet fights to correct past wrongs. The Korea Times. Kang Hyun-kyung. 21 December 2015. 10 March 2023. 16 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230316014821/https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/03/113_193652.html. live.
31. Web site: Ham Sok-hon. Quakers in the World. 10 March 2023. 16 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230316010737/https://www.quakersintheworld.org/quakers-in-action/193/Ham-Sok-Hon. live.
32. Web site: HAM SOK-HON: The Korean Gandhi. mkgandhi.org. 10 March 2023. 14 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210414050207/https://www.mkgandhi.org/articles/ham-sok-hon-korean-Gandhi.html. live.
33. Web site: S. Korea recommends two Austrian 'angels' for Nobel Peace Prize. 8 August 2017. 10 March 2023. The Korea Times. Ko Dong-hwan and You Soo-sun. 15 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315152342/https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2020/12/120_234358.html. live.
34. Web site: On former leper colony in South Korea, hopes grow for Nobel Peace Prize. Thomas Maresca. UPI. 17 December 2019. 10 March 2023. 4 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201104222806/https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2019/12/17/On-former-leper-colony-in-South-Korea-hopes-grow-for-Nobel-Peace-Prize/7781576230472/. live.
35. https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/search.php?prize=0&startyear=1901&endyear=1971&cname=&ccity=&cuniversity=&ccountry=0&cgender=A&nname=&ncity=&nuniversity=&ncountry=112&ngender=A Nomination archive – Nominators from Republic of Korea
36. https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/show_people.php?id=15251 Nomination archive – Chull Paik
37. Web site: Nobelarkivet-1972. svenskaakademien.se. April 2020. 15 March 2023. 28 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230328021538/https://www.svenskaakademien.se/sites/default/files/forslagslista_1972.pdf. live.
38. https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/show_people.php?id=12813 Nomination archive – Mun Hui-Soh
39. https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/show_people.php?id=14016 Nomination archive – Rhee Hyo Sang
40. https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/show_people.php?id=14872 Nomination archive – Hi Sup Chung
41. Web site: The National Archives of Norway [Det Norske Nobelinstitutt: Nominasjoner til Nobels fredspris]]. 1 February 2023. media-digitalarkivet-no. 21 February 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230221075812/https://media-digitalarkivet-no.translate.goog/db/browse?page=100&counties%5B0%5D=03&start_year&end_year&text&_x_tr_sl=no&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc. live.