Serang Chung in Conversation: First New York Book Talk
Co-Presented by the Korean Cultural Center New York, the Korean Language Program at Princeton University, and the Korean Language Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 3:00 PM
Korean Cultural Center New York
122 E. 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016
Admission: Free
* RSVP is required. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Join us for a special literary conversation with Serang Chung (정세랑), one of the most widely read and beloved voices in contemporary Korean literature.
Her genre-crossing works move fluidly between realism and the fantastic, illuminating everyday lives through vivid imagination and a keen sensitivity to the social worlds people inhabit. Blending warmth, wit, and an attentive gaze toward human relationships, her stories explore how people continue to care for one another even in uncertain and fragile times.
Beyond the page, she has reached global audiences through the Netflix adaptation of The School Nurse Files (보건교사 안은영) and her contribution to Star Wars: Visions Season 2, “Journey to the Dark Head.”
This program will present an in-depth conversation with the author about her creative process, her genre-defying approach to storytelling, and the themes that shape her work. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Sang-Keun Yoo and will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing.
In conjunction with this event, the Korean Cultural Center New York and Princeton University have collaborated on the publication of an English translation of two stories—“See You on the Rooftop” and “Hyojin”—from Chung’s short story collection, See You on the Rooftop (옥상에서 만나요).
A limited number of complimentary copies will be available at the event on a first-come, first-served basis. The publication will also be available to read online through the KCCNY website until April 30.
About the Author
Photo © Melmel Chung
Serang Chung has written novels since 2010 and has been a screenwriter since 2017. Her literary accomplishment was repeatedly acknowledged when she won the seventh Changbi Novel Award in 2013 with This Much Close (이만큼 가까이) and the fiftieth Hanguk Ilbo Literary Award in 2017 with Everybody Will be Dancing (피프티 피플). Her most well-known works include Jain, Jaewook, Jaehoon (재인, 재욱, 재훈), the story of three siblings with trivial superpowers, and The School Nurse Files (보건교사 안은영), the remarkable activities of a school nurse who can perform exorcism. Her works are translated into more than 12 languages and The School Nurse Files was made into a Netflix original drama series. She also wrote an episode of Star Wars Visions season 2, “Journey to the Dark Head.”
About the Moderator
Dr. Sang-Keun Yoo is an Assistant Professor in the English and Global Studies at Marist University in New York. He is the author of Speculative Orientalism: Asian Religions in New Wave Science Fiction, published by Bloomsbury Academic in 2025. Dr. Yoo earned his Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Riverside, with the support of a Fulbright scholarship. His work has been recognized with the NEMLA Women's and Gender Studies Essay Award and the IAFA's Jamie Bishop Award. He currently serves as the Korea Representative for the Science Fiction Research Association.