The Daesan Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Random House Joongang, Random House's joint venture in Korea, to publish “Random House Daesan Korean Literature Series.”

Accordingly, based on the Daesan Foundation’s translation of Korean literature program, Korean poems, novels, dramas and traditional literary pieces will be translated into English and at least one work is to be published annually through Random House from 2005.

The foundation and Random House Joongang will jointly select literature pieces for translation. The Daesan Foundation is responsible for translation and the publishing funds and Random House with Random House Joongang will be in charge of publishing and advertisement.

The foundation, Random House Joongang and Random House will finalize the contract within this year on the basis of MOU which signed on Monday.

Novels such as "This Paradise of Yours" by Yi Chung-jun, "The Skate" by Kim Joo-young, "Son of Man” by Yi Mun-yol, “To Dream of a Mountain” by Park Wan-seo, "A Little Ball a Dwarf Launched” by Cho Se-hui, “The Train Departs at Seven” by Shin Kyung-suk. “I Have the Right to Destroy Myself” by Kim Young-ha, "Sitting in an Overcast Bar" by Hwang Ji-woo and "Selected Plays of Choi In-hoon” have been translated or still going through the translation process by the Daesan Foundation’s grant.

Random House, a unit of Bertelsmann AG, has a distribution network in 16 countries and is the biggest publisher in English speaking countries with annual sales of US$2billion (W2.4trillion). It releases 12,000 new book titles annually.

Last year, Random House established a joint-venture with Japan's Kodansha named “Random House Kodansha” and it advanced into the Korean market this year by establishing “Random House Joongang” with “Joongang M&B.”

It is expected that this project will break dramatic ground for the introduction of Korean literature in the English speaking world.

The Daesan Foundation noted that it will also look for ways for major Korean literary works to be translated in French, German, Spanish and other major languages with publishers in those countries.

(englishnews@chosun.com )