Yong-Ik Kim
Yong-Ik Kim was a notable Korean author celebrated for his contributions to children's and young adult literature. Born in Korea in 1920, Kim was bilingual in Korean and English, which greatly influenced his writing. He spent a significant part of his life in the United States, where he taught literature and creative writing while publishing works aimed at promoting cross-cultural understanding. His books are recognized for their poetic language and rich depictions of traditional Korean culture, although they have been largely out of print since the 1980s. Notable works include "The Moons of Korea," "The Happy Days," and "Blue in the Seed," which explores themes of identity and cultural acceptance. Kim's stories often resonate with educators for their insightful portrayals of Korean customs and social issues. Throughout his career, he received several prestigious fellowships and accolades, underscoring his impact on both American and Korean literary communities. Kim passed away in the United States in 1995, leaving a legacy that continues to be appreciated by those interested in cross-cultural literature.
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Subject Terms
Yong-Ik Kim
Writer
- Born: May 15, 1920
- Birthplace: Korea
- Died: 1995
Biography
Yong-Ik Kim, best known for his books for children and young adults, was born in Korea in 1920. He was fluent in both Korean and English and lived much of his life in the United States. Although his books are remarkable for their fluency and poetic language and their detailed depiction of traditional Korean culture, they have been out of print since the 1980’s.
Kim graduated in 1942 with a B.A. from Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, Japan, and taught literature at Pusan National University in South Korea until 1948. He received a second B.A. from Florida Southern College in 1951. The following year he earned an M.A. from the University of Kentucky and then pursued graduate study at the University of Iowa from 1952 until 1956. At the same time, he was appointed to the department of literature at Korea University in Seoul. He returned to the United States in 1957 and accepted a position teaching creative writing at Western Illinois University in Macomb.
Kim began publishing his writing in the United States in the late 1950’s, continuing to write while teaching at Western Illinois University. In 1959, he published The Moons of Korea, an English-language book written for the Korean Information Service that aimed to teach Korean culture and history to American readers. In 1960, he published the young adult novel The Happy Days, which later was published in the United Kingdom as The Days of Happiness. In 1962, he published a novel for adults, The Diving Gourd, followed by a collection of stories, Love in Winter, illustrated by Park Minja. Another book illustrated by Minja, The Shoes from Yan San Valley, appeared in 1970; the book is about the devastation of war, a theme Kim would return to in his 1976 story, “Village Wine,” published in the Atlantic Monthly.
Kim’s stories for young readers are popular with teachers interested in promoting cross-cultural understanding because his grasp of English was superb and his writing depicted traditional Korean culture, customs, and social mores in great detail. His story, “The Sea Girl,” was anthologized in the late 1970’s in the textbook People: Focus on Literature, intended for American secondary schools. A later story, “After Seventeen Years,” has been anthologized numerous times, as has The Shoes from Yan San Valley.
Kim is probably best known for his book Blue in the Seed, published in 1964 and illustrated by Arthur Makrovia, who also illustrated The Happy Days. The story was intended for elementary school readers and is similar to the tale of Rudolph-the-Red-Nosed-Reindeer; it tells of a young Korean schoolboy who is the only child he knows with blue eyes. He is teased by his peers and becomes rebellious until he discovers the reason why he is different.
During his career, Kim received fellowship awards from Yaddo, the Edward MacDowell Association, and the Huntington Hartford Foundation. His writing was consistently well received and honored by various organizations in the United States and Korea.
Kim died in the United States in 1995. His granddaughter, Angela J. Kim, is an accomplished classical pianist who received the Grand Prize at the 1991 Mozart Festival Competition.