In 2001, the year she turned 22, she debuted as a film critic through Cine 21. In 2005, her short film Ooh, You Make Me Sick won the Special Jury Prize at the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival. The year she turned 37, her novel Almond was chosen as the winner of the 10th Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction, and she debuted as a novelist.
The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 38, she published Almond. The Hankyoreh writes that the book was chosen as Book of the Year by booksellers when it came out, and Herald Business lists her among the authors of the top 20 fiction bestsellers of the first half of the year. That year she also won the Jeju 4.3 Peace Literary Prize for 1988nyeonsaeng and published it as Counterattack of the Thirty.
In 2018, Almond passed 200,000 copies a year after it came out. In 2019, translation rights were sold to 12 countries, and the English rights went to HarperCollins.
In April 2020, the Japanese edition of Almond ranked first in the translated fiction category of the Japan Booksellers’ Award, and in June the film Intruder, which she wrote and directed, opened. In September, Almond reached No. 2 in bookstores after being read by BTS members on a TV show, and that month she published the novel Prism. In 2021, she published her first story collection, Taineui Jip, and the children’s book Wipungdangdang Yeou Kkori, and Counterattack of the Thirty came out in Japan.
In April 2022, Counterattack of the Thirty won first place in the translated fiction category of the Japan Booksellers’ Award again. In May, Almond passed one million copies in Korea, and in July she published the novel Tube. In April 2023, Prism ranked second at the Japan Booksellers’ Award, and in July, Almond was reissued by Dazzling.
In 2025, she published her first science fiction novel, Jeolmeumui Nara. In 2026, it was reported that Jeolmeumui Nara would reach English-language readers through HarperVia, and in April she published the story collection Nappeun Uidoneun Eopseotseumnida. In September, a Japanese run of the musical Almond was confirmed.
Sohn Won-pyung (born Apr 21, 1979) made her literary debut on Nov 15, 2016, the year she turned 37, when Almond won the Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction, and became known in 2017, the year she turned 38, when she published Almond. On Apr 8, 2020, the year she turned 41, the Japanese edition of Almond ranked first in the translated fiction category of the Japan Booksellers’ Award.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Debuted as a film critic through the film magazine Cine 21. She later studied film directing at the Korean Academy of Film Arts.
Source 08 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Writers Sohn Won-pyung and Cheon Myeong-kwan try directing · opens in a new tabDirected a number of short films, and won the Special Jury Prize at the 4th Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival for this one, Ooh, You Make Me Sick (Inganjeogeuro Jeongi an Ganeun Ingan).
Source 08 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Writers Sohn Won-pyung and Cheon Myeong-kwan try directing · opens in a new tabSource 24 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Sohn Won-pyung · opens in a new tab The year of the film was confirmed in news reports. The award year, 2005, is from Wikipedia and could not be confirmed in news reports.Changbi announced that her novel Almond was chosen as the winner. She made her debut as a novelist with it.
Source 01 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Sohn Won-pyung’s Almond wins the Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction · opens in a new tabSource 07 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Almond in 12 countries abroad · opens in a new tabThe Hankyoreh writes that the book was chosen as Book of the Year by booksellers when it came out in 2017, and Herald Business lists her among the authors of the top 20 fiction bestsellers of the first half of that year.
Received a plaque and prize money at a ceremony at the Jeju Provincial Government building for the novel 1988nyeonsaeng (Born in 1988). The novel came out later that year as Counterattack of the Thirty.
Source 02 · Jemin Ilbo (Korean) · Jeju 4.3 Peace Literary Prize ceremony · opens in a new tabSource 05 · Headline Jeju (Korean) · 1988nyeonsaeng published as Counterattack of the Thirty · opens in a new tabThe Jeju 4.3 Peace Literary Prize winner 1988nyeonsaeng came out from Eunhaengnamu under a new title. Its protagonist was born in 1988 and turns 30 in 2017.
Source 05 · Headline Jeju (Korean) · 1988nyeonsaeng published as Counterattack of the Thirty · opens in a new tabSource 24 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Sohn Won-pyung · opens in a new tab The month of publication is from Wikipedia and could not be confirmed in news reports. Headline Jeju’s report is dated Nov. 1.Changbi said it passed 200,000 copies in a year. The figure combines sales of the adult hardcover and the young adult paperback.
Source 06 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Almond passes 200,000 copies · opens in a new tabChangbi said translation rights were sold to 12 countries and 13 language regions. The English rights went to HarperCollins.
Source 07 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Almond in 12 countries abroad · opens in a new tabThe Japanese edition ranked first in the translated fiction category of Japan’s 2020 Booksellers’ Award. It was the first time a work from Asia took first place in the category.
Source 09 · My Daily (Korean) · Almond wins the Japan Booksellers’ Award · opens in a new tabSource 04 · Hankyoreh (Korean) · Almond wins the Japan Booksellers’ Award · opens in a new tab The date is the day the win was reported.She wrote and directed the film, which stars Song Ji-hyo and Kim Moo-yeol. It ranked first at the box office on opening day.
Source 10 · Newsen (Korean) · Intruder takes first place on opening day · opens in a new tabSource 07 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Almond in 12 countries abroad · opens in a new tabPublished her second novel with Eunhaengnamu, a novel about love and dating.
Source 12 · The Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · Novel Prism · opens in a new tab The articles give no publication date. The Korea Economic Daily article is dated Sept. 16.Reported as a book read by members RM and Suga on a TV variety show, it reached No. 2 overall at Yes24 for the second week of September and No. 3 overall at Kyobo Book Centre. A Changbi official says it had been a bestseller already and began climbing the charts again then.
Source 11 · The Chosun Ilbo (Korean) · Almond, as read by BTS · opens in a new tabHer first story collection, from Changbi, titled Taineui Jip (roughly, House of Others). It holds eight stories, including “The Man in the Box,” a companion piece to Almond.
Source 13 · Newsis (Korean) · First story collection, Taineui Jip · opens in a new tab The articles give no publication date. The Newsis article is dated June 25.Shodensha, the Japanese publisher of Almond, published Counterattack of the Thirty.
Source 15 · Kukmin Ilbo (Korean) · Counterattack of the Thirty wins the Japan Booksellers’ Award · opens in a new tab The month follows an April 2022 article that says it came out last August.A coming-of-age story for children, titled Wipungdangdang Yeou Kkori (roughly, A Fox’s Proud Tail), drawing on the nine-tailed fox folktale.
Source 14 · Kukmin Ilbo (Korean) · Wipungdangdang Yeou Kkori · opens in a new tab The articles give no publication date. The Kukmin Ilbo article is dated Oct. 28.Two years after Almond, she won the same award again. The Kukmin Ilbo wrote that she set a record by winning the same award twice.
Source 15 · Kukmin Ilbo (Korean) · Counterattack of the Thirty wins the Japan Booksellers’ Award · opens in a new tabIt took five years. Changbi issued a limited special edition to mark one million copies.
Source 16 · Christian Today (Korean) · Almond reaches one million copies · opens in a new tab The exact date of the milestone is not in the articles. The Christian Today article is dated May 21.A novel from Changbi about a middle-aged man, in debt after a failed business, who changes his life.
Source 17 · Readers News (Korean) · Novel Tube · opens in a new tabHer publisher Eunhaengnamu said Prism ranked second in the translated fiction category at the 20th Japan Booksellers’ Award. Yonhap writes that it is her third win, after Almond in 2020 and Counterattack of the Thirty in 2022.
Source 18 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Prism second at the Japan Booksellers’ Award · opens in a new tab The date is the day the publisher announced it.It came out again in two editions, one for young adults and one for adults. The publisher, Dazzling, said it was a one-person press where the author takes part directly in planning and production.
Source 19 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Almond reissued · opens in a new tabHer fifth novel and first science fiction novel, from Dazzling, titled Jeolmeumui Nara (roughly, The Land of Youth). It is set in a near-future Korea where severe population aging has become reality.
Source 20 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Jeolmeumui Nara · opens in a new tab The articles give no publication date. The Yonhap article is dated July 29.Readers News reported that the novel would come out in English from HarperVia, a HarperCollins imprint, making it her third work in a row, after Almond and Counterattack of the Thirty, with an English edition from HarperVia.
Source 21 · Readers News (Korean) · Jeolmeumui Nara at HarperVia · opens in a new tab The Readers News article is dated Jan. 15, 2026.Her second story collection, with 10 stories, from Changbi, titled Nappeun Uidoneun Eopseotseumnida (roughly, I Meant No Harm).
Source 22 · Segye Ilbo (Korean) · Story collection Nappeun Uidoneun Eopseotseumnida · opens in a new tab The articles give no publication date. The Segye Ilbo article is dated Apr. 25.A new musical based on the novel will play in Japan in 2027, produced by TV Asahi. The Tokyo run starts on Feb. 13, 2027.
Source 23 · Financial News (Korean) · Almond the musical heads to Japan · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2001–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
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Books · South Korea
Apr 21, 1979 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1979: the year of the event minus 1979, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.10.02 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.