Recipient of the 2026 Arts Council Korea Literature Fellowship

"Let me introduce myself first. I'm your dad." I burst out laughing at the white cat's words.

"And I'm your mom, of course. I'm sorry we couldn't come for you sooner," the black cat said.

—From "The Cat Couple Who Came to Get Me" in The Child Who Ate Rocks (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp., 2014)

Since her debut in 2008 to the present, Song Mikyoung continues to push herself to greater heights and broader horizons that have not gone unnoticed to readers of Korean children's literature. Her name has become synonymous with an amorphous energy impossible to chart with old-fashioned tools, flights of fantasy achieved through utterly original characters and narratives, and an instantly recognizable, inimitable style. —From the press release for How to Eat an Orange.¹⁾

1. Life

Song Mikyoung was born in 1973 in Seoul and was raised by her maternal grandparents in Gyeonggi Province. Her grandfather tended to his vegetable patch and garden and Song would follow him around and play outside. She was a happy-go-lucky child but often ill. When she was bored, she would listen to the radio or phonograph, or imagine things gazing at the pattern of the wallpaper. There were always animals like dogs, squirrels, rabbits, and turtles around the house, while the garden was bursting with flowers and fruit trees. When she was younger, she enjoyed playing hide-and-seek or house with her friends in the garden. She struggled with reading and writing to the point that she relied on Hangul lessons from her brother, one year her junior, but when her brother recounted comic books and stories that he had read to her she would close her eyes and picture them in her mind. She was fond of drawing, dance, and science, and drew constantly during her teenage years. As a child, she enjoyed reading the worn-out books of poetry lying around the house, and discovered such writers as Herman Hesse, Albert Camus, and Samuel Beckett as an adolescent. Her father, a Christian, passed away from illness when Song was still young, and she and her brother grew up as practicing Christians in a household that was not particularly devout. After spending much of her 20s and 30s on her religious life and raising a family, a conversation with her eldest child in 2008 inspired her to write her first children's novel, The School for Kids Who Don’t Like School. Song taught creative writing at university and academies for about ten years. Having started out in children's fiction, she is branching out to picture books.

2. Writing

Song Mikyoung is a stalwart of Korean children's literature constantly setting the bar for excellence higher with her skilled storytelling. Familiar storylines take on a completely different meaning in Song's capable hands. One can only appreciate her metaphors hidden between the lines and intricate literary devices. Considering that literature is all about how a story is told rather than what, the author is certainly blessed in her ability to elevate well-known tropes and amplify the message at hand. —Kwon Hyukjun, Criticism of Korea Children's Literature²⁾

Song's stories often deal with family issues. On a fundamental level, however, what the author is digging at is the child's self. The child's current bearings are only the starting point of the story, from which they are whisked off to faraway places.—Kim Jieun, children's literary critic³⁾

Reference

Children's Novels

The School for Kids Who Don’t Like School 학교 가기 싫은 아이들이 다니는 학교 (Woongjin Junior 웅진주니어, 2010년)

The Self-Erasing Diary 일기 먹는 일기장 (Sangsuri 상수리, 2011년)

Come Play at My House 우리 집에 놀러 오세요 (Woongjin Junior 웅진주니어, 2014년)

The Child Who Ate Rocks 돌 씹어 먹는 아이 (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2014년)

The Sewing Girl 바느질 소녀 (Sakyejul Publishing Ltd 사계절, 2015년)

Can School 통조림 학원 (Wisdom House, Inc. 위즈덤하우스, 2016년)

My Pearl Dress 나의 진주드레스 (Sakyejul Publishing Ltd 사계절, 2016년)

The School Note Mix-up 가정 통신문 소동 (Wisdom House, Inc. 위즈덤하우스, 2017년)

I Just Got Elected Vice President 어쩌다 부회장 (Wisdom House, Inc. 위즈덤하우스, 2017년)

The Spring Bear 봄날의 곰 (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2018년)

The Weirdo Next to the Weirdo 이상한 아이 옆에 또 이상한 아이 (Wisdom House, Inc. 위즈덤하우스, 2018년)

Hamlet and Me 햄릿과 나 (Sakyejul Publishing Ltd 사계절, 2019년)

The Secret Message Mix-up 비밀 편지 소동 (Wisdom House, Inc. 위즈덤하우스, 2021년)

Yeongha Has a Little Dog 영하에겐 작은 개가 있어요 (Moraeal 모래알, 2021년)

The Poetry Writing Mix-up 가정 통신문 시 쓰기 소동 (Wisdom House, Inc. 위즈덤하우스, 2023년)

Mr. Soso the Mouse 1 생쥐 소소 선생 1 (Junior RHK RHK주니어, 2025년)

Mr. Soso the Mouse 2 생쥐 소소 선생 2 (Junior RHK RHK주니어, 2025년)

Ginny's Number Song 지니의 숫자 노래 (Junior RHK 주니어RHK, 2026년)

Children's Short Stories

The Goddess of Vengeance 복수의 여신 (Changbi Publishers, Inc. 창비, 2012년)

From a Kid 어떤 아이가 (Sigong Junior 시공주니어, 2013년)

How to Eat an Orange 오렌지 먹는법 (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2026년)

A Very Common Greeting 아주 흔한 인사말 (Junior RHK 주니어RHK, 2026년)

(Co-author) My Name Is Baek Seok (공저) 내 이름은 백석 (Changbi Publishers, Inc. 창비, 2013년)

(Co-author) A Serious Complex (공저) 콤플렉스의 밀도 (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2014년)

(Co-author) The Best of the Last (공저) 하위권의 고수 (Goraeya 고래가그랬어, 2014년)

(Co-author) How Concentration of Addiction (공저) 중독의 농도 (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2015년)

(Co-author) The Frequency of Anxiety (공저) 불안의 주파수 (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2018년)

(Co-author) Laughing Together (공저) 우리 함께 웃으며 (Changbi Publishers, Inc. 창비, 2019년)

(Co-author) The Humidity of Loneliness (공저) 외로움의 습도 (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2022년)

(Co-author) This Is Really a Secret! (공저) 이건 진짜 비밀인데! (Gilbut Inc. 길벗어린이, 2025년)

Picture Books

The Child Who Ate Rocks 돌 씹어 먹는 아이 (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2019년)

Are You a Monster? 너는 괴물? (Wisdom House, Inc. 위즈덤하우스, 2019년)

Boom Boom Bang the Drum 둥둥 북을 쳐요 (Hollym 한림, 2022년)

I Turned Into a Rabbit 토끼가 되었어 (Hollym 한림, 2023년)

I Flow 나는 흐른다 (Changbi Publishers, Inc. 창비, 2023년)

When Passing Through the Foggy Forest 안개 숲을 지날 때 (Bombyeott Publishing Co. 봄볕, 2024년)

Wandering in My Dreams 꿈속을 헤맬 때 (Bombyeott Publishing Co. 봄볕, 2025년)

Coat of the Day 오늘의 코트 (Woongjin 웅진, 2025년)

Carrot Soup 당근 수프 (Hollym 한림, 2026년)

Rabbit's Perfect Bag 토끼 씨의 완벽한 가방 (Bombyeott Publishing Co. 봄볕, 2026년)

Novels

Operative Report of a Mad Person 광인수술 보고서 (Sigongsa 시공사, 2014년)

The Story of Mary Soy 메리 소이 이야기 (ITTA 읻다, 2024년)

Short Stories

Do I See Birds? 나는 새를 봅니까? (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2020년)

(Co-author) Changing Leaves Stand for Mock Exams (공저) 단풍의 꽃말은 모의고사 (Jaeum & Moeum Publishing 자음과모음, 2024년)

Plays

The Child Who Ate Rocks: The Play 어린이 희곡: 돌 씹어 먹는 아이 (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2019년)

The Spring Bear: The Play 어린이 희곡: 봄날의 곰 원작 (Munhakdongne Publishing Corp. 문학동네, 2021년)

(Co-author) Plays, Get Your Plays Here! (공저) 연극이오, 연극! (전4권)(all&only 올리, 2022년)

Cartoons

Today’s Dog, Bird 오늘의 개, 새 (Sakyejul Publishing Ltd 사계절, 2022년)

Illustrations

11 Pages of Sunshine 햇볕 11페이지 (Changbi Publishers, Inc. 창비, 2023년)

Reference

1) 《오렌지 먹는 법》 보도자료.

2) 권혁준, 〈인간에 대한 깊은 이해, 미학성을 드높이는 테크닉 – 송미경 작가론〉, 《아동문학평론》 173호.

3) 김지은, 〈우리가 삼켰던 돌과 못 – 송미경 《돌 씹어 먹는 아이》 비평〉, 《어린이, 세 번째 사람》(창비, 2017년) 47면.

Profile information provided by the Arts Council Korea (ARKO)