Soyeon "Jay" Jeong (, born February 25, 1983) is a South Korean

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

writer, educator, translator, and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solici ...

. She is the founding member of the Science Fiction Writers Union of the Republic of Korea, and has been the head of the union since December 19, 2017.

Life and career

Jeong was born in 1983 in

Masan Masan is an administrative region of Changwon, a city in the South Gyeongsang Province. It was formerly an independent city from 1949 until 30 June 2010, when it was absorbed to Changwon along with Jinhae. Masan was redistricted as two distric ...

South Gyeongsang Province South Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상남도, translit=Gyeongsangnam-do, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World H ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. She attended the

Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a national public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is largely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea; it is one of the thr ...

, where she majored in

social welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...

and philosophy. She earned her JD from

Yonsei Law School Yonsei Law School (연세대학교 법학전문대학원) is one of the professional graduate schools Postgraduate or graduate education refers to Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualificat ...

, Seoul, and currently resides in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

. Deeply engaged in the South Korean science fiction fandom community since her late teens, she is considered an important figure in the field. She began her career as a science fiction author in 2004, and she was one of the founding members of Webzine Mirror. She mostly translated modern American science fiction, including ''

The Speed of Dark ''Speed of Dark'' (released in some markets as ''The Speed of Dark'') is a near-future science fiction novel by American author Elizabeth Moon. The story is told from the first-person narrative, first person viewpoint of an autism, autistic perso ...

'', ''

Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang ''Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Kate Wilhelm, published in 1976. The novel is composed of three parts, "Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang," "Shenandoah," and "At the Still Point," and is set in a po ...

'', ''

The Martian Child "The Martian Child" is a novella by American writer David Gerrold, originally published in ''Fantasy & Science Fiction''. It won the 1995 Hugo Award for Best Novelette, Locus Award and HOMer Award and the 1994 Nebula Award for Best Novelette, ...

'', and '' Beggars in Spain''. As a writer, she is best known for her award-winning short story Cosmic Go. The comics version of this short story was released for free and went viral. Her short story collection ''Yeonghee Next Door'' was published in 2015. As a lawyer, she is mostly known for her advocacy activities. She is an active member of

Minbyun Minbyun (민변,民辯) is a South Korean social organization of progressive lawyers. The name "Minbyun" is the abbreviation of "Minjusahoereul wihan Byeonhosamoim (민주사회를 위한 변호사모임, 民主社會를 爲한 辯護士모임)" ...

(Lawyers for a Democratic Society). Lately she is known to have begun her own scholarship foundation, Boda Initiative, which supports tertiary education for less privileged girls in Asia. Jeong taught science fiction writing at Munji Culture Center from 2009 to 2011. She is currently a lecturer at Changbi Academy.

Awards

* 2005 Science and Technology Creative Award (''Cosmic Go)'' * 2006 Seoul National University Literary Award * 2017 Seoul Bar Association Commendation

Works(partial)

Works in Korean

*''Cosmic Go'' (short story, 2005) * ''Yeonghui Next Door'' (Changbi, 2015; YA Book of the Year 2015)

Works in translation

* ''Cosmic Go'' : in Readymade Bodhisattva,

Kaya Press Kaya Press is an independent non-profit publisher of writers of the Asian and Pacific Islander diaspora. Founded in 1994 by the postmodern Korean writer Soo Kyung Kim, Kaya Press is currently housed in the Department of American Studies and Ethnic ...

*
Home
' :

Guernica Guernica (, ), official name (reflecting the Basque language) Gernika (), is a town in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain. The town of Guernica is one part (along with neighbouring Lumo) of the m ...

*
The Flowering
' :

Clarkesworld Magazine ''Clarkesworld Magazine'' (ISSN 1937-7843) is an American online fantasy and science fiction magazine. It released its first issue October 1, 2006 and has maintained a regular monthly schedule since, publishing fiction by authors such as Elizabet ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeong, Soyeon 21st-century South Korean women writers 1983 births Living people People from South Gyeongsang Province Seoul National University alumni Yonsei University alumni 21st-century South Korean lawyers South Korean women lawyers South Korean science fiction writers Women science fiction and fantasy writers South Korean translators English–Korean translators 21st-century translators