Background
Kim Seong-Dong was born on November 8, 1947, in Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do, a son of a communist organizer. In a violent bloodbath that resulted from ideological strife, he lost his father and members of both his paternal and maternal family and grew up stigmatized for his family’s communist ties.
Career
Frustrated and confused, Kim finally turned to novel writing. These experiences left a deep impact on him. When his short story "Moktakjo" was published in Religion Weekly (Jugan jonggyo) in 1975, he was accused of defaming the order and duly excommunicated.
Kim Seongdong then returned to the secular world and began working for several magazines and publishing houses.
His writing career took off with the publication in 1978 of the novella "Mandala" in the magazine Korean Literature (Hanguk munhak).