Cho Hae-il (birth name Cho Hae-ryong, 18 April 1941 – 19 June 2020) was a South Korean writer.

Life

Cho Hae-il was born April 18, 1941, in

Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of (Great) Manchuria after 1934, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China, Manchuria from 1932 until 1945. It was founded as a republic in 1932 afte ...

and was originally given the name Haeryong, which means "Sea Dragon".America, by Cho Hae-il, Dongsuhmunhaksa Publishing, 1990. P. 102 After the

liberation of Korea The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...

his family returned to

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, and five years later the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

began. During the war his family joined the stream of refugees who retreated to

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

, only returning to Seoul in 1954 after the

cessation of hostilities A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state act ...

. Cho entered Posung High School where, by his own admission, he had "the lowest scholastic achievements". At this school he entered the creative writing club. In 1960 he lived through the student revolution of April 19, about which he said made him very proud for the achievements of others and very shamed for his own failure to participate. In 1961 he entered

Kyunghee University Kyung Hee University (abbreviated to KHU) (Hangul: 경희대학교; Hanja: 慶熙大學校) is a private research university in South Korea with campuses in Seoul and Suwon. Founded in 1949, it is widely regarded as one of the best universities i ...

, where he majored in Korean literature and met Hwang Sunwon, one of the greatest senior writers in Korea. Graduating in 1966, he served his

mandatory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

in various roles. Upon his discharge from the service, he began writing. When his writing career began to wind down in the late 80s, Cho moved to teaching creative writing at Kyunghee University. He married in 1972 and has one son.America, by Cho Hae-il, Dongsuhmunhaksa Publishing, 1990. P. 104

Work

Cho made his literary debut with ''The Man Who Dies Every Day'', which won first prize in the ''

JoongAng Ilbo ''The JoongAng'', formally known as ''JoongAng Ilbo'', is a South Korean daily newspaper published in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the three biggest newspapers in South Korea, and a newspaper of record for South Korea. The paper also publ ...

'' spring literary contest in 1970. Over the next few years Cho was quite prolific, publishing at least twelve short stories and the novella America between his first work and 1974. In 1976 Cho published ''The Winter Woman'', which went on to achieve massive success and made Cho a popular writer, though he believed his fame to be undeserved.America, by Cho Hae-il, Dongsuhmunhaksa Publishing, 1990. P. 103 From 1974 to 1986, Cho wrote steadily, both short stories and newspaper serials. Cho's work often focuses on the weaknesses of individuals and societies. His ''America'' (in English) tells the story of a man and local society deformed by the presence of U.S. troops in South Korea. His short story ''The Iron Mask'' tells the story of a couple attacked, and the wife beaten, while ''The Psychologists'' explores the dynamics of violence in the confines of a bus.America, by Cho Hae-il, Dongsuhmunhaksa Publishing, 1990. p. 100-101

Selected works

* ''Kyŏul yŏja'' (1975) - serialized in ''

The Chosun Ilbo ''The Chosun Ilbo'' (, ) is a daily newspaper in South Korea and the oldest daily newspaper in the country. With a daily circulation of more than 1,800,000, the ''Chosun Ilbo'' has been audited annually since the Audit Bureau of Circulations w ...

'' * ''Uyoil'' (1977) - collection * ''Jibongwiui namja'' (1979) - serialized in the ''

Seoul Shinmun ''The Seoul Shinmun'' (translating to The Seoul Newspaper) is the oldest daily newspaper in South Korea with more than a century of publication. Its original name was ''Daehan Maeil Sinbo'' (''The Korea Daily News''), which was started on July 1 ...

'' * ''Eksŭ'' (1982) - serialized in ''

The Dong-a Ilbo The ''Dong-A Ilbo'' (, literally ''East Asia Daily'') is a newspaper of record in Korea since 1920 with a daily circulation of more than 1.2 million and opinion leaders as its main readers. ''The Dong-A Ilbo'' is the parent company of Dong-A M ...

'' * ''Kalsu ŏmnŭn nara'' (1984) - serialized in ''

'' * ''Im Kkŏk-chŏng e kwanhan ilgopkae ŭi iyagi'' (1986) * ''Amerikʻa'' (1990)

Media based on publications

* ''Wangshibri'' (1976) * ''

Winter Woman ''Winter Woman'' () is a 1977 South Korean film. It is based on a novel by Cho Hae-il which was serialised in the Chosun Ilbo in 1975. The popularity of the novel led to the film being made. Dealing with the sexual awakening of the female protago ...

'' (1977), based on ''Kyŏul yŏja'' * ''Jibongwiui namja'' (1979), based on ''Jibongwiui namja'' * ''Wooyoil'' (1980), based on ''Uyoil'' * ''X'' (1983), based on ''Eksu'' * ''

PpilKu ''Ppilku'' is a 1997 South Korean teen drama film. Plot Pil-gu is a high school athlete and the leader of an underground club called Shock. Along with the Shocks, the judo club and a girls' club called Sexy Wave led by Hee-jeong cause plenty of ...

'' (1997)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cho, Hae-il 1941 births 2020 deaths Korean people of Manchukuo Kyung Hee University alumni South Korean novelists