Recipient of the 2025 Arts Council Korea Literature Fellowship
"It's a big deal whether the knot comes undone or not, but I had to reach out to undo the truth that affects so many people." Excerpt from Gaia of the Moss Fields(Ssideubug, 2023)
Choi Young-hee is a YA and SF writer who uses the language of SF, myth, and legend to take on the reality of teens, while expanding the world where they belong.
1. Life
Choi Young-hee was born and raised in goat country. Her childhood connection with goats led to an interest in non-human entities, while the endless rural skies around her fueled her SF imagination reaching out towards space. She studied Catholic theology and humanities at university, with coursework in Latin, Greek, and reading medieval manuscripts preparing her for her subsequent SF career that has consistently drawn inspiration from mythological and humanistic imagination. Choi made her literary debut in 2014 winning the 8thChangbiPrizeforYoungAdultFictionforSurviving with Flowers, and the 1stHanNakwonScienceFictionAwardforHello, Beta. She combines writing with teaching creative writing for new writers and literature for middle and high schoolers.
2. Writing
As seen in her SF children's novel The Man-Eating Plant, SF novel Gu Dal, and SF short story collection The Ending Only You Don’t Know, Choi Young-hee often writes about perfectly ordinary teen protagonists swooping in to save the day when disaster suddenly strikes the planet, making full use of SF elements. She is also fond of adventure narratives featuring teens who band together in a world lacking in humanity due to the proliferation of modified flora, fauna, or creatures. Notable works in this vein include Kudzu, in which a village is overrun by monster kudzu; Black Forest Zombie Village, a Korean zombie disaster rewriting of Hansel and Gretel; and "Children Lighting Fires," a short story set in an apocalyptic world devastated by gigantic mutant locusts (in the anthologyChildren of the Apocalypse). Choi has also written numerous works set in Nakseok-dong, whose name in Korean stands for a place where out-of-ordinary disasters occur like stones that fall out of nowhere. Works set in the Nakseok-dong universe include the SF short story collection The Ending Only You Don’t Know, the linked short story collection Nakseok-dong Resident Observation Log, and numerous other short stories. Starting in 2021, Choi has also published SF novels for the general public rather than just YA readers such as Gil Eunmok, Novice Detective; A World Where No One Rusts; and As Dustunder the pseudonym Kim Yet. She is currently working on a series of stories inspired by one of Korea's best-known female legends, Princess Bari.
Reference
Works
My First Kiss Was with the Elf 첫 키스는 엘프와(proonibook 푸른책들, 2014)
Super Black Plastic Bag 슈퍼 깜장봉지(Prunsoop Publishing Co., Ltd. 푸른숲주니어, 2014)
Surviving with Flowers 꽃 달고 살아남기(Changbi Publishers, Inc., 창비, 2015)
The Man-Eating Plant 인간만 골라골라풀(gimmyoungjr 주니어김영사, 2017)
GuDal구달(Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2017)
From Aleph to Aleph 알렙이 알렙에게(suntree books 해와나무, 2018)
The Ending Only You Don’t Know 너만 모르는 엔딩(Sakyejul Publishing Ltd 사계절, 2018)
Hyeonah's Palm Forcewind 현아의 장풍(bookmentor 북멘토, 2019)
Black Forest Zombie Village 검은 숲의 좀비마을(Crayonhouse 크레용하우스, 2019)
Third Vol. 1써드1 (Hubble 허블, 2020)
Kudzu칡 (Changbi Publishers, Inc. 창비, 2020)
Gil Eunmok, Novice Detective (*As Kim Yet, mongsilbooks 몽실북스, 2023) *필명 김아직 Kim Yet
Third Vol. 2 써드2 (Hubble 허블, 2023)
Gaia of the Moss Fields 이끼밭의 가이아(Ssideubug 씨드북, 2023)
Circling the Weather First 날씨부터 동그라미(Little Mountain Publishing Co. 낮은산, 2023)
Nakseok-dong Resident Observation Log 낙석동 소시민 탐구일지(*As Kim Yet, Goldenbough 황금가지, 2023) *필명 김아직
A World Where No One Rusts 녹슬지 않는 세계(*As Kim Yet, vookda 북다, 2023) *필명 김아직
Dearoo, Unicity Sheriff 유니시티 보안관 디어루 (*As Kim Yet, See&Talk 씨앤톡, 2023)
As Dust 먼지가 되어(*As Kim Yet, Sakyejul Publishing Ltd 사계절, 2024) *필명 김아직
Co-authored works
Hello, Beta 안녕, 베타(Sakyejul Publishing Ltd 사계절, 2015)
Cry of Existence 존재의 아우성 (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2015)
Anxious Frequency 불안의 주파수 (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2018)
Goodbye, 6thGrade굿바이6학년 (Wisdom House, Inc. 위즈덤하우스, 2018)
Why Do You Keep Following Me? 왜 자꾸 나만 따라와 (Jaeum & Moeum Publishing, 자음과모음, 2020)
Wuju's House 우주의 집 (Sakyejul Publishing Ltd 사계절, 2020)
Prism of Growth 성장의 프리즘 (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2021)
Pulp Fiction 펄프픽션(gobl 고블, 2022)
The Strange Snack Shop 기묘한 분식집(Hansol SooBook 한솔수북, 2022)
When They Wake Up 그들이 깨어나는 시간(See&Talk 씨앤톡, 2022)
Moro's Tomorrow 모로의 내일 (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2022)
Children of the Apocalypse 종말의 아이들(Sowonnamu Co., Ltd. 소원나무, 2022)
My Zombie Love 좀비 낭군가(Goldenbough 황금가지, 2023)
About to Melt 녹아내리기 일보직전(Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2024)
Where Is Your Right Foot Going? 너의 오른발은 어디로 가니(dolbegae 돌베게, 2024)
Dead Ball 데드볼(Goldenbough 황금가지, 2025) *필명 김아직
Cliché: Expanders 클리셰: 확장자들(vookda 북다, 2025) *필명 김아직
Essays
Monthly Sixteen Days: Remembering the Sinking of MV Sewol 10 Years Later 월간 십육일: 세월호 참사10주기 기억 에세이(Co-author, Sakyejul Publishing Ltd 사계절, 2024)
Reference
Sim Taeseop, "Vibrant Bodies: Generating and Connecting Infinite Other-ness," Changbi Review of Children's Literature, Winter 2024
심태섭, <생동하는 몸: 무한한 타자성의 생성과 연결>, 계간 창비어린이2024 겨울
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