Han Kang, the first South Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, has expressed her delight at winning the prestigious accolade.

Han spoke at an event in Seoul on Thursday, her first public appearance since the Nobel announcement last week. She won "for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life."

Han said that when she was told by telephone that she had gained the prize, she at first could not believe the announcement was real.

She said she started to feel it was actually true after she hung up and saw media coverage, adding that she was very happy and grateful.

Han said she gets lost from time to time when she starts to write a novel. But she feels great joy when she makes headway toward completion after wandering far and wide.

Han said she wants to continue writing and meeting her readers in her books, as she has done so far.

The author revealed that she began a new novel this past spring, aiming to unveil it in the first half of next year.

People in South Korea are growing more interested in Han and her works. Local news outlets have been covering her past remarks as well as interviews with people who have close connections to her.