Canadian writer John Ralston Saul has won South Korea's Manhae Prize. (Sophie Boussols/John Ralston Saul)

John Ralston Saul, a Canadian author and president of International PEN, has been awarded South Korea's Manhae Grand Prize for literature.

Manhae is a penname for Han Yong-woon, a poet who famously resisted the Japanese in the years leading up to the occupation of Korea. He became a Buddhist monk at Baekdam Temple in 1905 and his poems highlight themes of freedom, equality and harmony.

The Manhae Prize was created to recognize individuals who encourage ideals matching the Korean poet's philosophies of peace and democracy. The foundation awards the prizes for peace, academic excellence, art and literature.

Ralston Saul is author of the Massey Lecture Series, The Unconscious Civilization, which was cited by the Manhae Prize jury, and A Fair Country: Telling Truths about Canada. He also has written five novels, including The Paradise Eaters and The Birds of Prey.

As president of International PEN, he has worked to advance freedom for writers and encouraged more diverse voices in literature.

He will receive the award in South Korea in August. Among the past winners of the prize are the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung.