Born in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in 1957, Kim Junghyun worked as a police detective for 13 years before turning to writing. His first novel, Hamjeong (함정The Trap), published in 1991, is led by a police detective who stands up against corruption in political circles. Kim has stated that he was moved to write Hamjeong after witnessing a colleague being arrested as a scapegoat while he was in the force. Four months later, without any prior writing experience, his first novel was finished. Kim's second novel, Museomsinhwa (무섬신화 Myth of Museom), also features a police officer as its protagonist.
1. Life
Kim's third novel, Abeoji (아버지Father), is the work that made him a household name. The novel is the fastest-selling novel to date in the history of Korean publishing, striking a chord with readers hit hard by the financial crisis and the dissolution of family values. Published in 1996, the novel sold a million copies in six months. The novel's record sales came to be regarded as a kind of social phenomenon attributed to the older generation of workers made prematurely redundant due to the recession. Based on the two axes of the psyche of the head of the family whose days are limited and the reaction of his family, the narrative is supported by realistic descriptions and an accessible writing style. Kim followed up Abeoji with other works focusing on family, including Gohyang sajingwan (고향 사진관 My Hometown's Photography Studio), Abeojiui nunmul (아버지의 눈물 Father’s Tears), Gajok (가족 Family), Maji (맏이The Eldest), and Nui (누이Younger Sister), all of which explore the meaning of family.
Meanwhile, after becoming fascinated by Chinese history and culture on work-related visits, Kim eventually settled in the country long-term to research an ambitious series on China's 5,000-year history, the first volume which was published under the title Junggugin iyagi (중국인 이야기 People of China). A history buff, Kim follows up his interest with meticulous research and visits to the field when writing historical fiction. His 2014 novel Anjunggeun, abereul ssoda (안중근, 아베를 쏘다 Ahn Jung-geun Shoots Abe), the fruit of multiple trips between China and Korea in pursuit of historical veracity, casts a new light on the historical figure of independence activist Ahn Jung-geun. Kim referred to Ahn Jung-geun's autobiography, written in prison in Lüshunkou, and Ahn's court records while penning the historical novel.
LTI Korea 
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