Bok Geo-il
Encyclopedia
Bok Geo-il is a South Korean novelist whose novels deal with Korean nationalism
and science. He was born in Asan
, Chungcheongnam-do
, in 1946. Later he attended the College of Commerce at Seoul National University
, and held a variety of jobs in business. He quit his job when he was 38 years old to become a novelist.
Several of Bok's works deal with alternate history. His first novel, Looking for an Epitaph (비명을 찾아서, 1987), explores what might have happened if Ahn Chung-gun had failed to assassinate Ito Hirobumi
, and Korea had remained a colony of Japan until the present day. Traveler of History (역사속의 나그네) deals with alternate history as shaped by time travel
.
Bok was the first Korean writer to publish his novels in electronic serial format. He is also known for his controversial advocacy of English
as the future language of Korea.
Korean nationalism
Korean nationalism refers to nationalism among the Korean people. In the Korean context, this encompasses various of movements throughout history to maintain the Korean cultural identity, history, and ethnicity.-History:...
and science. He was born in Asan
Asan
Asan is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located at , bordering the Seoul Metropolitan Area to the north. Asan has a population of approximately 250,000.Asan is known for its hot springs and is a city of spas....
, Chungcheongnam-do
Chungcheongnam-do
Chungcheongnam-do or Chungnam is a province in the west of South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the south-western half of the former Chungcheong Province and remained a province of Korea until the country's division in 1945, thereafter becoming part of South Korea...
, in 1946. Later he attended the College of Commerce at Seoul National University
Seoul National University
Seoul National University , colloquially known in Korean as Seoul-dae , is a national research university in Seoul, Korea, ranked 24th in the world in publications in an analysis of data from the Science Citation Index, 7th in Asia and 42nd in the world by the 2011 QS World University Rankings...
, and held a variety of jobs in business. He quit his job when he was 38 years old to become a novelist.
Several of Bok's works deal with alternate history. His first novel, Looking for an Epitaph (비명을 찾아서, 1987), explores what might have happened if Ahn Chung-gun had failed to assassinate Ito Hirobumi
Ito Hirobumi
Prince was a samurai of Chōshū domain, Japanese statesman, four time Prime Minister of Japan , genrō and Resident-General of Korea. Itō was assassinated by An Jung-geun, a Korean nationalist who was against the annexation of Korea by the Japanese Empire...
, and Korea had remained a colony of Japan until the present day. Traveler of History (역사속의 나그네) deals with alternate history as shaped by time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
.
Bok was the first Korean writer to publish his novels in electronic serial format. He is also known for his controversial advocacy of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as the future language of Korea.