Park Kyung-ni

Park Kyung-ni (or Pak Kyong Ni) (October 28, 1926 – May 5, 2008) was a prominent South Korean novelist. She was born in Tongyeong, in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, and later lived in Wonju in Gangwon-do Province. Park made her literary debut in 1955, with Gyesan (계산, Calculations). She is, however, most well known for her 16-volume story Toji (토지, The Land), an epic saga set on the turbulent history of Korea during 19th and 20th century. It was later adapted into a movie, a television series and an opera.

“She is a big figure in Korean literature, who we will have little chance to meet in the near future.” Park Kyung-ni died from lung cancer at the age of 81 on May 5, 2008 and many literary men recollected her as a guide for their literary works and life as a writer. She was posthumously awarded the country's top medal by the Culture Ministry of South Korea for her promoting South Korean arts.