Kim Ho-yeon was born in Seoul in 1974 and graduated from Korea University's department of Korean literature. He went to work for a film production agency and became a screenwriter with the release of Ijunggancheop (이중간첩 Double Agent). Kim went on to work in publishing, working as a manhwa story author and fiction editor. His career as a novelist was launched when he won the 9th Segye Literary Award for Mangwondong beuradeoseu (망원동 브라더스 Mangwon-dong Brothers)(2013).
2. Writing
Mangwondong beuradeoseu features a cast of male characters ranging from their teens to their 60s sharing a crowded rooftop space. Each character, representative of their generation, is comically drawn with loving attention to detail. The novel is characteristic of Kim's work in its choice of a topical location and characters from different generations and walks of life. Fleshed out with original backstories for each character, a humorous narrative is completed. Kim's 2022 novel, Bulpyeonhan pyeonuijeom (불편한 편의점 The Inconvenient Convenience Store), for instance, depicts of cast of local characters whose stories revolve around a convenience store set in the specific neighborhood of Cheongpa-dong. A National Library of Korea Book of the Year, the book's rights have been sold in 18 countries.
This is not to say that outlandish backgrounds or characters have no place in Kim's work. His 2015 novel Yeonjeok (연적 Rivals in Love) follows the story of two rivals who escape with their late lover's urn on the day of her death anniversary. The out-of-ordinary happening is played for all its comic worth as the unlikely duo embark on a buddy trip together. At the same time, the novel raises sharp truths about the exploitation of artists in Korean society. As can be seen in this novel combining social commentary on the mistreatment of artists with an extraordinary, unusual happening, Kim's work does not shy away from examining the injustices of Korean society with a critical eye. His 2019 novel Pauseuteo (파우스터Fauster) is set in a society where the old and wealthy are able to purchase and live through the lives of the young. In this work, Kim conveys a critical message against the highest echelons of society. The author's preoccupation with the abuse of artists in Korean society is revisited in his 2017 novel Goseuteuraiteojeu (고스트라이터즈 Ghostwriters), which imagines what might happen if a made-up story had the power to determine that person's fate. Serialized on KakaoPage in 2016, the novel was a runaway hit amassing 150,000 readers at the time.
LTI Korea 
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