Best-selling Korean author of thrillers in town for K-Lit 2023

MANILA, Philippines — Much of South Korean culture that many Filipinos know today are through the Korean dramas and movies that are quite popular. 

Many of these titles, however, were first written down as books, and one of South Korea's popular authors was in town to talk about her books. 

Jeong You-jeong rose to global popularity through her two English translated books, "Seven Years of Darkness" and "The Good Son." 

Both are psychological thrillers, a genre that You-jeong is popular in. She writes about free will and and how the characters' wrong choices ruin their lives. 

"When a writer writes a story, it would be determined by that writer's preference or the background like how he or she grew up. Her childhood into adulthood," Jeong said in Korean. 

She faced the press at last Thursday's talk for the featured writers at pop-up exhibit titled "K-Lit: Turning Pages of Korea," on view until November 18, in the Korean Cultural Center in Taguig City. 

Her book, "Seven Years of Darkness," along with Son Wonpyung's "Almond" and Cheon Meyung-gwan's "Whale,” have their own sections in the pop-up exhibition. 

The Korean author continued: "For example, Stephen King. We know that Stephen King focused on the darkness of humanity, that evil side we have. We also have [Ernest] Hemingway, who tried to show humanity facing death and how humans react while facing death. For me, I would say I focus on the free will of humans and the choices that humans will make. 

"Free will, I would say, is connected to the inner peace that we have. Every one has that in our hearts, minds. Sometimes people make mistakes by taking the wrong path and sometimes we manage to go the righteous way but then in my stories, I choose the people taking the wrong path and how it would ruin their lives eventually... This would be the turning point and would serve as a reference point for the readers," she shared. 

"Seven Years of Darkness" tells the story of how three men try to uncover the death of a young girl, without revealing their own secrets. 

"The Good Son," meanwhile, features two brothers, one of them adopted, and the murder of their mother. 

These dark novels actually were born out of the mind