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  • Jin-Kyung KimKorea ⋆ Author
  • Samantha Christensen

Jin-Kyung Kim's career as a writer has been an incredibly interesting one. Born in 1953 in South Chungcheong Province, Kim developed a passion for literature and writing early on, and overcame many political hurdles in the name of education, literature, and authorship. He attended the College of Education for Korean Language at Seoul National University, and began teaching Korean at various schools until 1985. After founding People's Education in 1985, a journal criticizing Korea's school system and its detriment to children and adolescents, Kim was indicted and imprisoned for fourteen months for violating National Security Law. Upon being released from prison in 1986, he formed the Council for Democratic Education and Practice for others indicted for their articles in People's Education, while at the same time managing to consistently publish volumes of poetry. Turning to children's literature later in his career, Kim speaks out against censorship and corruption to readers whose visions are still developing—children.

Kim began writing children's books in 1997, and was quickly regarded as a pioneer of "Korean fantasy." He incorporates into his fantasy texts a sense of Korean and East Asian cultures, often drawing upon traditional folktales and crucial cultural texts. Primarily writing stories in multiple volumes, Kim keeps his readers in suspense, and his Hanbul Dokkaebi and Cat School series are beloved stories in the realm of Korean children's literature. He relates to his readers by mirroring reality, immersing the child in a fantasy realm while incorporating sharp critiques of the real world. Kim's works of fantasy are innovative and deeply influential in the genre of Korean children's literature, and his popular series have paved the way for modern writers of children's fantasy in Korea.

Kim's unique and trailblazing style has not only earned him a devoted young readership, but also a number of awards and distinctions. Aside from his awards for poetry in 1974 and 2000, Kim was awarded the 2004 Korean Children's Book Award for War of the Mirrors, which was adapted for the Cat School series, and the 2006 Prix des Incorruptibles in France for the Cat School series. His books have been translated into Chinese, French, Polish, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Thai, allowing his works to influence children from around the world and expose them to Korean culture and folktales.

Selected Bibliography

Goemul Gildeurigi [Taming Monsters]. Seoul: Biroyongso, 2009. Print.
Geoul Oseul Ibeun Aideul [The Children in Clothes of Mirror]. Seoul: Munhakdongne, 2010. Print.
Geurimja Jeonjaeng [Shadow Wars]. Seoul: Munhakdongne, 2011. Print.
Goyangi Hakgyo [Cat School]. Seoul: Munhakdongne, 2001. Print.
Urideural Areumdaun Nara [When the Sun Shines at Night]. Seoul: Munhakdongne, 2009. Print. [End Page 35]
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