South Koreans reacted with joy and astonishment on Thursday after learning that homegrown writer Han Kang won the Nobel Prize in literature, an unexpected moment that stoked national pride about the country’s growing cultural influence.

Major South Korean bookstores sold out of author Han Kang's books Friday, as sales skyrocketed and the share price of local publishers soared following her historic Nobel Prize win.

More than 500,000 copies of South Korean author Han Kang’s novels and other works have been sold since she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, publishers reported on Sunday. Kyobo and Yes24, two of South Korea's leading online and physical book retailers,