Paik Gahuim (born 1974) is a modern South Korean writer.
1. Life
Paik Gahuim was born in Iksan, South Jeolla Province. He studied creative writing at Myongji University. Paik made his literary debut in 2001 when his short story "Gwangeo" (광어 Flounder) won the Seoul Shinmun New Writer's Contest. He is the author of five short story collections and three novels including Sasipsa (四十四 Forty-four) and Madam ppaengdeok (마담뺑덕 Madam Ppaengdeok). He is currently professor of creative writing at Keimyung University.
2. Writing
Paik's work often makes readers feel uncomfortable, as in the case of his debut story which begins with a detailed description of filleting a flounder and then progresses to a portrayal of the narrator having intercourse with a girl from a hostess bar while imagining the inside of his mother’s womb. "Baekkochi jinda" (배꽃이 진다 When the Pear Blossoms Fade) describes the shocking abuse of children and the handicapped. In "Welkeom, beibi!" (웰컴, 베이비! Welcome, Baby!) a young child watches a middle-aged couple have intercourse from inside a motel room closet, an infant without eyes or ears is abandoned, and a man tries to hang himself from a fan. In "Gwitturamiga onda" (귀뚜라미가 온다 Cricket is Coming), an aged mother who is beaten by her own son plans to end both their lives through joint suicide, while "Gudu" (구두 Dress Shoes) features a father who kills his entire family and then takes his own life. Although these ruthless stories fill readers with much discomfort, they are not too far-fetched, for the media are full of real-life stories like these. "Baeui mudeom" (배의 무덤 The Tomb of a Ship) describes blood-curdling crime in a small port town. The return of a criminal past the statute of limitations to his hometown results in vengeful violence and murder, a subversion of dichotomy between good and evil.
Paik's characters tend to be the neglected and marginalized—those who are both socially and economically on the bottom rung of society: prostitutes, itinerant manual laborers, sailors running from the law, the mentally and physically handicapped, the elderly homeless living in condemned buildings, and women who are physically and sexually abused. A great number of these characters suffer from speech disorders or lack the mental capacity to recognize the gravity of the situation; the few who do realize their dire circumstances are without the proper education to articulate themselves.
