This master thesis deals with the field of literary translation from Slovene into Korean and vice versa, which has not been explored before. The thesis first identifies the key relations and contacts between Slovenia and South Korea and highlights how these areas of cooperation influence the demand for translation services and literary translation between the two languages. It then outlines the development of literary translation into and from Korean and how this is reflected in exchanges with Slovenian. The main part of the research is an analysis of literary works translated from Slovene into Korean and vice versa, based on two compiled lists of published works up to the year 2024. To collect data on published translated literary works, bibliographic research was carried out through COBISS and dLib, some translated works were found on the JAK website, as well as through a survey of Korean online bookstores. The works available in physical form were then obtained and checked for missing data. By 2024, 62 different literary works had been published – 30 translated from Slovenian into Korean and 32 translated from Korean into Slovenian. The analysis shows that the history of translation from Korean into Slovene is longer than the reverse and that today mainly contemporary, award-winning authors and bestsellers are being translated between the two languages. The most frequently translated books are shorter works, especially children's literature, while the least translated is poetry, with a greater variety of works translated from Korean into Slovene than vice versa. Most of the works have been translated indirectly through English as due to the lack of direct translators, very few direct translations have been produced. Although only a few works have received financial support for translation the importance of institutional support cannot be ignored. Despite some challenges, the future is promising, as there is the possibility of a richer literary translation exchange between Slovene and Korean. This research is a good starting point for further studies and can serve Korean studies scholars, translators, and publishers.
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