KOREAN NET

On the left is the original Korean edition of "Borders and on the right is the version for the French market. (Bearbooks)

By Yoo Yeon Gyeong

The French-language edition of the Korean children's picture book "Borders" has received a Prix Socieres, a famous children's and young adult literature award of France.

The Seoul-based publisher Bearbooks on March 25 said the honor in the nonfiction category was the first translation of a book by a Korean author to win a Prix Socieres.

Launched in 1986, the awards are given by ABF (Association of Librarians of France) and ALST (Association of Specialized Bookstores) to the most notable books for children and young adults of the year.

"The strength of this documentary is to raise awareness among young people of the notion of borders by transmitting humanist messages," the awards committee said. "'Borders' is a brilliant and decidedly useful, even essential, documentary in the current context!"

Written by Gudol and illustrated by Haerang, "Borders" (2021) tells of what happens in 24 borders in the world and explores the meaning of borders from a humanistic perspective.

Winning the Korea Book Award in 2021, the work has been translated and published in Japan, Taiwan, where it earned the OpenBook Good Book Award in 2023, and France.

dusrud21@korea.kr