Choi Ihn-suk

Choe Inseok (, born September 17, 1953) is a South Korean writer, playwright, and screenwriter. His work explores political and social struggle, and he has received multiple literary awards.

Early life and career Choe was born in Namwon, Jeollabuk-do, to a journalist father. He enrolled in university in 1972, to study playwriting. In 1977, he attended a playwriting workshop led by Yoh Suk-kee, a professor of English literature at Korea University.

His debut play, Byeokgwa Chang (벽과 창, The Wall and the Window), won the Monthly Korean Literature New Writer's Award in 1980. During the 1980s, Choe wrote plays such as Eotteon Saramdo Sarajiji Anneunda (어떤 사람도 사라지지 않는다, No One Disappears), which won the Baeksang Arts Awards in 1983 and the Yeonghui Play Award in 1985. His plays from this period address marginalization and social unrest.

Choe began writing fiction in 1986 with the novel Gugyeongkkun (구경꾼, The Onlooker), which won the Novelists’ Award. His novel Nae Yeonghonui Oomul (내 영혼의 우물, The Well of My Soul) received the Daesan Literary Award in 1995.

Literary style and themes Choe’s works often portray individuals on the margins of society. Scholar Hwang Jong-yeon notes that his characters "often emerge from politically radical backgrounds" and exist in settings highlighting social inequality, such as prisons, construction sites, and urban districts. His narratives explore alienation, state control, and personal resilience.

Selected works

Novels Gangcheolmujigae (, Iron Rainbow), 2014 Tugikkundeuleul wihan membership training (, Membership Training for Speculators), 2013 Yeonae, haneun nal (, A Day of Love), 2011 Geudaereul ileun nalbuteo (, From the Day I Lost You), 2010 Yaktali sijakdwaetda (, The Looting Has Begun), 2010 Isanghan nara-eseo on spai (, The Spy From a Strange Country), 2003 Seokeoseu seokeoseu (, Circus Circus), 2002 Aneseo bakkateseo (, From the Inside From the Outside), 1992 Nae maeumeneun akeoga sanda (, A Crocodile Lives in My Mind), 1990 Gugyeongkkun (, The Onlooker), 1986

Short story collections Moksumui gieok (, The Memory of Life), 2006 Gureongideului jib (, The House of Serpents), 2001 Areumdaun na-ui Gwisin (, My Beautiful Ghost), 1999 Nareul saranghan pyein (, The Cripple Who Loved Me), 1998 Hondoneul hyanghayeo hangeoleum (, A Step Towards Chaos), 1997 Nae yeonghonui oomul (, The Well of My Soul), 1995 Inhyeongmandeulgi (, Making Dolls), 1991 Saette (, A Flock of Birds), 1988

Works in translation Der Brunnen meiner Seele (German) Le puits de mon âme (French)

Awards 2003 – 8th Hahn Moo-Sook Literary Prize 1997 – 8th Park Young-joon Literary Prize 1995 – 3rd Daesan Literary Award 1988 – 27th Grand Bell Award in Dramatization 1985 – Yeonghui Play Award 1985 – Korean Literature Prize New Writers Award 1983 – 19th Baeksang Arts Awards New Writers Award 1980 – Korean Literature New Writers Award