Recipient of the 2026 Arts Council Korea Literature Fellowship
"I drew a pinkie-sized needle on his chest. The needle, pricked with titanium, could have been a tiny gap. A narrow slash like a little girl's genitalia. It felt like the whole universe could be sucked into that crack." —From "The Needle" in The Needle (Changbi, 2001)
1. Life
Cheon Un-yeong was born in Seoul and spent her childhood in Incheon. She studied journalism at Hanyang University and creative writing at Seoul Institute of the Arts. Since making her literary debut in 2000 winning the Dong-a Ilbo New Writer`s Award with the short story "The Needle," she pursued an active career publishing the short story collections The Needle; Cheerful; How She Uses Her Tears; As You Know, Mom; and the novels Farewell, Circus and The Catcher in the Loft. After completing an artist residency with the Korea Polar Research Institute, she returned to direct the documentary The Summer of Antarctica. From conception to shooting, editing, and directing, she studied the language of film. This experience transformed Cheon's views on wildlife and the environment, inspiring her to pursue a master's degree in animal behavior at Ewha Womans University's Division of EcoScience, after which she continued her research at the Jang Bogo Station in Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica.
2. Writing
Cheon Un-yeong is one of the writers who emerged with a new literary style in the 2000s. Her first collection of short stories, "The Needle," showcased a feral aesthetic unseen in Korean women's writing before. The author's interest in existential relationships or existential solidarity between women has contributed to the forefront of a new kind of feminine aesthetics. Cheon's female characters have burst upon the scene injecting new meaning into femininity, daring to move beyond the stereotypical images of women's writing while embracing its achievements in a creative way. Unleashing the primal vitality of women in her provocative narratives and sensual aesthetic, Cheon is hailed for blazing a trail hitherto unseen in Korean literature with her vivid construction of scenes backed up by field research, pared-back description shattering deceit, and bold inclusion of taboo. Having arrived at a turning point with The Catcher in the Loft, inspired by "torture master" Lee Geun-an, Cheon's latest work is concerned with the environment and ecological issues.
Reference
Short Stories
The Needle 바늘 (Changbi Publishers, Inc. 창작과비평사, 2001)
Cheerful 명랑 (Moonji Publishing co., Ltd. 문학과지성사, 2003)
How She Uses Her Tears 그녀의 눈물사용법 (Changbi Publishers, Inc. 창비, 2008)
As You Know, Mom 엄마도 아시다시피 (Changbi Publishers, Inc. 창비, 2012)
Half of Half of Half 반에 반의 반 (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2023)
Novels
Farewell, Circus 잘 가라 서커스 (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2004)
The Catcher in the Loft 생강 (Changbi Publishers, Inc. 창비, 2011)
Essays
Don Quixote`s Table 돈키호테의 식탁 (Arte 아르테, 2021)
A Bittersweet Profession 쓰고 달콤한 직업 (Maumsanchaek 마음산책, 2021)
Co-authored
Melancholy Happy Ending 멜랑콜리 해피엔딩 (Jakka Publishing Co., Ltd. 작가정신, 2019)
Everyone’s a Stranger 누구나 이방인 (Changbi Publishers, Inc. 창비, 2013)
Reference
천운영, 야생의 여성성을 찾아서 https://www.arko.or.kr/zine/artspaper2003_11/104.pdf
Profile information provided by the Arts Council Korea (ARKO)
LTI Korea 
DLKL 
SIWF 
