Hong Sok-jung born in Seoul

Seoul

Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

 in 1941, is a North Korea

North Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...

n writer.
He is the grandson of novelist Hong Myong-hui

Hong Myong-hui

Hong Myong-hui was a Korean novelist during the colonial period, and then a North Korean novelist.He was born in Dongbu-ri, Goesan county, Chungcheongbuk-do where he took part in the 3.1 Movement in 1919. For a while in the 1920s, he served as an editor of the Donga Ilbo...

.

He moved to North Korea with his family after the Second World War. He served in the Korean People's Navy

Korean People's Navy

The Korean People's Army Naval Force is the navy of North Korea. The Korean People's Army is made up of the Ground Force, the North Korean Air Force, and the Navy. It was established on June 5, 1946. The navy strength in the 1990s was about 40,000 to 60,000; current strength is at about 46,000...

, and obtained a degree in literature

North Korean literature

The partition of Korea following the Second World War led to a considerable cross-border movement, which included writers moving from North to South or from South to North.North Korea's subsequent literary tradition was shaped and controlled by the State...

 at Kim Il Sung University. His first published work was a short story

Short story

A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...

, "Red Flower", in 1970. In 1979, he joined the Central Committee of North Korea's official literary organisation, the Joseon Writers' Alliance.

In 1993, he published his most successful work, Northeaster, an epic novel

Epic poetry

An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...

. In 2002, he published Hwang Jin-i (황진이), a historical novel

Historical novel

According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...

 set in the sixteenth century

Joseon Dynasty

Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...

, which depicts courtesan

Kisaeng

Kisaeng , sometimes called ginyeo , were female Korean official prostitute or entertainers. Kisaeng are artists who work to entertain others, such as the yangbans and kings....

 Hwang Jin-i

Hwang Jin-i

Hwang Jin-i , also known by her gisaeng name Myeongwol , is one of the most famous gisaeng of the Joseon Dynasty who lived during the reign of King Jungjong. She was noted for her exceptional beauty, charming quick wit, and extraordinary intellect...

's discovery of the people's starvation and encounters with corrupt officials. Hwang Jin-i was awarded South Korea's Manhae Literary Prize (만해문학상) in 2005 - the first time it had been awarded to a North Korean writer. An excerpt from the novel was translated into English and published by Words Without Borders

Words Without Borders

Words Without Borders is an international magazine opened to international exchange through translation, publication, and promotion of the world’s best writing and authors who are not easily accessible to English-speaking readers....

 (WWB) in Literature from the "Axis of Evil"

Literature from the "Axis of Evil"

Literature from the "Axis of Evil" is an anthology of short stories, poems and excerpts from novels by twenty writers from seven countries, translated into English , and published by Words Without Borders in 2006....

in 2006.

Source

• Br. Anthony of Taizé, introductory remarks to the excerpt of Hwang Jin-i, in Literature from the "Axis of Evil" (a Words Without Borders
  Words Without Borders
  Words Without Borders is an international magazine opened to international exchange through translation, publication, and promotion of the world’s best writing and authors who are not easily accessible to English-speaking readers....
  
  anthology), ISBN 978-1-59558-205-8, 2006, pp.99–101.