Berlin Wall collapsed then and this incident had a
tremendous inluence on Korean activists. We we really
taken aback by the Fall of the Wall.
I didn´t know what to do ater university. I was looking
for something I could do, like the generation ater 1968
in Germany was. My irst stories were about the chaos
young people feel. If you read that novel you can ind
aggressiveness against the system and against yourself.
he novel is about suicide. hat could be a relection of
my mind at that period. Fortunately the irst novel was
successful. It was kind of a shocking novel in Korea.
Ater that I seriously I began to think about a career as
a writer. Luckily I have been writing many stories and
novels.
K: What keeps you going as a writer?
KYH: Sometimes I am not sure if I am a good writer, so
I make a blue print and go forward and then back again.
I met many other writers and like me they are always
suspicious about their talent and their ability. As a writer
I am not sure if I will get beter the more I write.
K: Are there any German writers you like?
KYH: When I was young almost every kid in Korea read
Herman Hesse. Actually I was inluenced by German
philosophers and not authors. I have read many German
authors like Patrick Süskind and Bernhard Schlink or
Christa Wolf. While I was serving the military I read
Christa Wolf. I found this copy in a barrack and I don‘t
even know why this Christa Wolf story collection was
there.
K: Why did you move to New York?
KYH: I just wanted to get out of Korea. Korea is a
networked society. I didn´t feel free because of those
many relationships you have with others. here are
so many duties I had to do. Concerning this context I
cannot see this objectively because I am a member of
that network. Naturally I am inluenced by many things.
When I am out of Korea I can see the society history
and the people. hat´s the irst reason why I moved out
of Korea. he other reason is that I like New York. I like
big cities such as Berlin and Paris. I am nothing in New
York City. Nobody knows me. I can do anything I want
without being noticed by others. Maybe I will stay one
more year in New York, but then I will return to Korea.
I thought of living in Berlin, too. I heard a lot of good things
about this city. Many friends of mine recommended me
to go to Berlin because of the artist friendly atmosphere.
I like the cosmopolitan atmosphere. So I had a fantasy
about Berlin. But every time I come to Berlin it´s
raining.
K: Now that you moved out of Korea how do you
see the current Korean society and culture?
KYH: As a Korean I really have a lot of things to say. hat
will be the topic of my next stories.
K: Can you say there is a diference between
Korean and German story telling?
KYH: I have the impression that German writers are
really conceptual. Korean writers like the story itself.
he characters, the history, the love and struggle.
here was a big change in Korean writing, before
the 1990s and ater it. Ater the democratization,
Korean literature became more individual. Before
that many Korean writers focused on the Korean
War and the division. hey dealt with big things,
but ater it the younger generation focused more on
individualism, some gender related topics and boredom.
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