The year she turned 28, her short story “Iseul Teolgi” won the Seoul Shinmun New Year literary contest, and she made her debut as a writer.
The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 33, she published her first story collection, Aoi Garden, and became known in Korean literary circles. Seoul Shinmun wrote that it was so strange and new that a precedent was hard to find in the history of Korean fiction, and The Kyunghyang Shinmun writes that the book drew attention to her as a formidable new writer. It came five years after her debut.
In 2007 she published her second story collection, To the Kennels, and that year she was chosen for the Hankook Ilbo Literary Award. In 2009 she received the Lee Hyo-seok Literary Award.
The year she turned 38, she published her first novel, City of Ash and Red. In 2011 she received the Dong-in Literary Award for the story collection Evening Proposal. In 2012 she published the novel The Owl Cries. In 2013 she published the story collection Bami Jinaganda (The Night Passes).
The year she turned 42, her short story “Monsoon” was chosen for the grand prize of the Yi Sang Literary Award. In 2015 she received the Hyundae Munhak Award. In 2016 she published the novel The Hole, and the North American rights deal for City of Ash and Red and The Hole became known.
The year she turned 46, The Hole was chosen as the novel-category winner of the U.S. Shirley Jackson Awards for 2017. Women’s News writes that it is the first win by a Korean author. In 2019 she received the Kim Yu-jeong Literary Award for the short story “Hotel Window.” In 2020 the German edition of The Hole was nominated for the Liberaturpreis.
The year she turned 49, she published the story collection Eojjeomyeon Seumu Beon (Maybe Twenty Times). In 2022 she received the grand prize of the Kim Seung-ok Literary Award for “Podobat Myoji” (Vineyard Cemetery). In 2023 her first story collection, Aoi Garden, was republished in a new edition after 18 years.
The year she turned 52, news came of a film of The Hole. In 2025 she published her first collection of very short stories, Eoreunui Mirae (The Future of Adults). In 2026 she published the story collection Saedeurui Sahoeseong (The Sociality of Birds).
Pyun Hye-young (born 1972) made her debut in 2000, the year she turned 28, when her short story won the Seoul Shinmun New Year literary contest, and became known in Korean literary circles in 2005, the year she turned 33, with her first story collection, Aoi Garden. In 2018, the year she turned 46, The Hole was chosen as the novel-category winner of the U.S. Shirley Jackson Awards for 2017.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Began her writing career when her short story “Iseul Teolgi” won the Seoul Shinmun New Year literary contest.
Source 06 · NoCut News (Korean) · Hallym University author talk · opens in a new tabSource 05 · Seoul Shinmun (Korean) · New Year literary contests as a gateway · opens in a new tab The month and day of the win are not in the articles.Published her first story collection with Moonji Publishing. Seoul Shinmun wrote that it was so strange and new that a precedent was hard to find in the history of Korean fiction, and The Kyunghyang Shinmun writes that the book drew attention to her as a formidable new writer.
Published her second story collection with Munhakdongne.
Source 04 · The Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · To the Kennels · opens in a new tab The article does not give the publication date, so the report date is used.Chosen for the award for To the Kennels.
Source 07 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Hankook Ilbo Literary Award · opens in a new tabChosen for the award for “O. Cuniculus.”
Source 08 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Lee Hyo-seok Literary Award · opens in a new tabSource 09 · Kangwon Ilbo (Korean) · Lee Hyo-seok Literary Award, “O. Cuniculus” · opens in a new tabNewsis writes that she received the Today’s Young Artist Award in 2010.
Source 12 · Newsis (Korean) · The Owl Cries · opens in a new tab The month, day and winning work are not in the article.Published her first novel with Changbi.
Source 10 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · City of Ash and Red published · opens in a new tabSource 11 · Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · City of Ash and Red · opens in a new tab The articles do not give the publication date, so the report date is used.Published her third collection of works with Moonji Publishing.
Source 13 · Kukmin Ilbo (Korean) · Evening Proposal · opens in a new tab The article does not give the publication date, so the report date is used.Chosen for the award for Evening Proposal.
Source 14 · Segye Ilbo (Korean) · Dong-in Literary Award · opens in a new tab The article does not give the announcement date, so the report date is used.Published her second novel with Moonji Publishing.
Source 15 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · The Owl Cries published · opens in a new tab The article does not give the publication date, so the report date is used.Published her fourth story collection with Changbi. Pyun Hye-young was born in Seoul in 1972.
Source 16 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · Bami Jinaganda · opens in a new tabSource 17 · Asia Economy (Korean) · Bami Jinaganda · opens in a new tab The articles do not give the publication date, so the report date is used.Her short story “Monsoon” was chosen for the grand prize of the Yi Sang Literary Award.
Source 18 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Yi Sang Literary Award grand prize · opens in a new tabYonhap News Agency writes that she was a 2015 Hyundae Munhak Award winner.
Source 19 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Humanities reading academy · opens in a new tab The month, day and winning work are not in the article. The basis is Yonhap’s Oct. 5, 2015 article.Published her fourth novel, The Hole, with Moonji Publishing.
Source 20 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · The Hole published · opens in a new tab The article does not give the publication date, so the report date is used.The head of KL Management said the North American rights deal for City of Ash and Red was done and that it would be published with The Hole by the same U.S. publisher.
Source 21 · Newsis (Korean) · City of Ash and Red and The Hole in the U.S. · opens in a new tabChosen as the novel-category winner of the U.S. Shirley Jackson Awards for 2017. Women’s News writes that it is the first win by a Korean author.
Source 22 · NoCut News (Korean) · Shirley Jackson Award · opens in a new tabSource 23 · Women’s News (Korean) · Shirley Jackson Award · opens in a new tab The Literature Translation Institute of Korea announced it on the 17th, and NoCut News gives the date of selection as the 15th.Received the Kim Yu-jeong Literary Award for her short story “Hotel Window.”
Source 24 · Financial News (Korean) · Fiction of the year · opens in a new tab The month and day of the win are not in the article.The German edition of The Hole was nominated for the Liberaturpreis in Germany.
Source 25 · Asia Economy (Korean) · German literary prize nominee · opens in a new tab The article does not give the nomination date, so the report date is used.Published her sixth story collection with Munhakdongne.
Source 26 · Newsis (Korean) · Eojjeomyeon Seumu Beon · opens in a new tab The article does not give the publication date, so the report date is used.Chosen for the grand prize with “Podobat Myoji.” The prize money is 50 million won.
Source 27 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Kim Seung-ok Literary Award · opens in a new tabHer first story collection was republished after 18 years.
Source 28 · Newsis (Korean) · Aoi Garden new edition · opens in a new tab The article does not give the publication date, so the report date is used.The Dailian reported that Kim Jee-woon directs the film of The Hole, with Jung Ho-yeon and Theo James starring.
Source 29 · The Dailian (Korean) · The Hole film · opens in a new tab The article does not give the announcement date, so the report date is used.Published her first collection of very short stories, with 11 pieces, with Munhakdongne.
Source 30 · NoCut News (Korean) · Eoreunui Mirae · opens in a new tab The article does not give the publication date, so the report date is used.Published her first new story collection in five years with Munhakdongne.
Source 31 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Saedeurui Sahoeseong · opens in a new tab The article does not give the publication date, so the report date is used.END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2000–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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Books · South Korea
1972 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1972: the year of the event minus 1972, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.10.06 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.