Poet Ko Un will begin a lecture tour in Europe next month as part of the government’s project to promote prominent Korean authors abroad.

The lectures, sponsored by the state culture agency Arts Council Korea, will be held in Venice, Milan, Rome and Paris from March to June 30.

The celebrated Korean poet is also expected to receive an honorary doctorate from Ca’ Doscari University of Venice, where he will spend four months writing poems and researching.

Apart from his European tour, Ko will participate in a literary event scheduled to be held in Cape Town, South Africa, in May.

ARKO plans to send 10 writers to overseas writing residency programs in Cuba, Berlin, Mongolia and Russia’s Sakhalin in April, as part of the council’s project to promote Nobel Literature Prize candidates and local artists to foreign countries.

“We will step up our efforts to promote Korean literature to the world so that it can also be a driving force of hallyu,” said Kwon Young-bin, ARKO’s chairman.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)