Country of Focus Korea

Kang Hyesook 강혜숙

While studying digital content design in graduate school in 2006, Kang Hyesook made her debut as a picture book author when the story Tail? Tail!—originally intended as a short animated film script—was turned into a picture book. She enjoys creating illustrations that blend vivid colors with symbolic patterns inspired by the Mandala style. Since launching the ”Vacance Project”‚ a picture book author collective, in 2019, she has been dedicated to creating picture books based on folktales and traditional motifs.

Park Hyunmin 박현민

Park Hyunmin was born in Seoul in 1986. Park made his debut with So Much Snow, a book inspired by Bruno Munari’s and Remy Charlip’s work in which white paper stands in for white snow. He is most interested in frames, and the physicality of the book itself, and his work tends to focus on a book's physical properties. Park likes to present his readers with negative space (the background) in his books, inviting them to fill in the empty space, and rejoices in the playfulness and insight that result from breaking up the framework.

Baek Jihye 백지혜

Baek Jihye is a Korean painter who deeply cherishes the beauty and tradition of classical Korean art. She studied East Asian Painting at Ewha Womans University and specialized in traditional Jinchae painting at Hansung University’s graduate school, earning a Ph.D. in Fine Arts with her dissertation, ‘A Study on Portraiture Techniques Applied from Late Joseon Dynasty Portraits’.

Using traditional coloring techniques and materials, she creates portraits and floral paintings on silk, presenting her work through exhibitions, publications, and various media. She has held 17 solo exhibitions, including Garden of Consolation (Gallery Minjung, Seoul, 2022), Capturing People (Insa Art Center, Seoul, 2021), and Certain Times (Gallery Grimson, Seoul, 2018), and has also published three picture books.

Currently, she grows peonies and tree peonies in a small garden, drawing inspiration from the flowers she grew up with. Through her picture books, she hopes to introduce these cherished blossoms to young readers.

So Yunkyoung 소윤경

So Yunkyoung has worked as both a children's book illustrator and a picture book author for over 20 years. In Korea, she is known for creating unique fantasy picture books. She explores a wide range of themes not typically found in children's literature, such as humanity’s cruelty toward life on Earth, the hidden side of human pleasures, dazzling depictions of the underworld, as well as war and death. She willingly brings forth dark emotions like conflict and sorrow, aiming to inspire readers with the courage to confront fear.

To her, picture books are “books that embody art”. She integrates various visual art genres—including painting, fantasy, horror, and graphic novels—to craft picture books with new narrative structures.

Additionally, she expands picture books into artistic content across various fields, such as film, animation, performance, and exhibitions. Her goal is to cultivate a picture book culture that can be enjoyed not only by children and young adults but by people of all ages.

Oh Migyung  오미경

Oh Migyung began her career as a children’s writer in 1998 when her middle-grade novella The Shoe Ghost Tree won a competition hosted by the Farmers Newspaper. In 2012, her full-length children's novel Family in Adolescence received the Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award of the Year.

She finds great joy in writing stories that deeply explore the hearts of children and in becoming their friend through her books. Throughout her career, she has written picture books, children's stories, and young adult novels that explore themes such as the environment, dreams, the love and meaning of family, death, and Haenyeo (female divers). She hopes to continue writing engaging and heartfelt stories that inspire children to grow up healthy, bright, and confident.

Her picture book A Granny Diver intertwines the legend of the selkie, a seal fairy from Northern European folklore, with the story of Jeju Island’s Haenyeo. It depicts the ever-changing sea, a grandmother who bravely and skillfully dives like a seal, and her granddaughter, who anxiously watches over her, fearing the loss of her beloved grandmother.

Lee Geumyi  이금이

Korean children's and young adult literature author Lee Geumyi began her writing career in 1984, during a period of new exploration in Korean children's literature. Over the next 40 years, she produced more than 50 works, capturing the hearts of readers and critics alike, spanning from children to adults, and leading the growth of children's literature and the emergence and expansion of young adult literature.

Notable works include the Bamtee Village Story quartet, which continued due to long-standing requests from young readers; the full-length fairy tale You Too Are a Twilight Lily, which elevated the literary quality of Korean children's literature; and Yujin and Yujin, which resonated deeply with the wounds carried by contemporary youth and marked the beginning of serious young adult literature. These works have consistently received much love from children, teens, and adults.

She is also expanding her literary world with historical novels such as Can't I go instead? and The Picture Bride. Recently, she has been revising some of her earlier works to align with the changed sensibilities of the times.

In 2024, she was selected as a finalist for the Hans Christan Andersen Award in the Author category.

Suzy lee 이수지

Suzy Lee studied painting and book art in both Korea and the UK and have published picture books in various countries around the world. She focuses on works that use the physicality of books and the format of wordless picture books to capture children’s play and energy. She runs Hintoki Press, which publishes new independent books based on Korean folktales.

In 2022, she received the Hans Christian Andersen Award in the Illustrator category, and she has also been honored with several prestigious awards, including the Bologna Ragazzi Award Special Mention in Fiction, the Korean Publishing Culture Award, the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books Award, and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor.

Some of her representative works include Danced Away, Summer, River, the Black Dog, Lines, Wave, Shadow, and Mirror.

Cha Eunsil 차은실

After majoring in economics at university, Cha Eunsil have worked as an illustrator for over ten years, engaging in various creative projects. Currently, she focuses on creating picture books.

She is particularly interested in exploring the meaning of living together and the value of small, seemingly insignificant things through her picture books. She views life as a continuous journey of curiosity and choices, and she seeks to capture the process of growth within relationships.

She approaches picture books as more than just simple stories—they are a window that can pose profound questions to readers and offer new perspectives on the world.

She actively participates in exhibitions and book festivals, valuing direct communication with readers. Moving forward, she hopes to continue connecting with more people through picture books and meaningful storytelling.

Han Ragyeong 한라경

Han Ragyeong spent her childhood as a quiet observer, filled with thoughts. After studying Korean literature and child welfare in university, she began reading books to children in a reading class, which led her to fall deeply in love with picture books. Since then, she has been working in publishing for over than years, planning and editing children’s books.

Alongside editing others’ works, she also writes—giving form to the thoughts she had gathered since childhood. Her writing seeks to capture the warmth in life. Every day, she turns her gaze toward moments of hospitality, care, shared joy, and kindness.

Heo Jeongyun 허정윤

Heo Jeongyun majored in Child Studies in university and pursued graduate research in Early Childhood Education and Pedagogy. She is currently active as a picture book author, animation director, and university professor. In 2017, her book The Transparent Tree was selected for Germany’s White Ravens, and international recognition in children’s and young adults literature. In 2022 Can I Borrow Your Dad? was selected in THE BRAW AMAZING BOOKSHELF at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

Her works are known for their unique perspectives and heartfelt sensitivity, leaving a deep impression on readers. Notably, The Hand Reached Out addresses the issue of refugees, emphasizing the importance of empathy and solidarity. Meanwhile, KimSugar and Donas explores themes of sacrifice, devotion, and love through the story of a stray dog and a pet dog.

Heo Jeongyun continues to create meaningful works, delivering stories that inspire and move readers.