Welcome!
I’m Sean…
a literary translator based in Seoul.
Here’s my CV…
Book-Length Translations
The Joys and Sorrows of Work — Jang Ryujin. Bloomsbury, TBD.
Artificial Truth — J. M. Lee. Amazon Crossing, 2025.
Perfect Happiness — Jeong You-jeong. Creature Publishing, 2025.
To the Moon — Jang Ryujin. Bloomsbury, 2025.
Counterattacks at Thirty — Sohn Won-pyung. HarperVia, 2025.
The Black Orb — Kim Ewhan. Serpent's Tail, 2024.
The Cabinet — Kim Un-su. Angry Robot, 2021.
Awards and Grants
Daesan Foundation Translation Grant (2020)
GKL Translation Award, Grand Prize (2018)
LTI Korea Award for Aspiring Translators (2018)
Korea Times Modern Korean Literature Translation Award, Commendation (2018)
Short Fiction and Literary Excerpts
2025 — “They Said Annyeong”, Kim Ae-ran. Korean Literature Now, Vol. 67, Spring 2025.
2024 — “Lingering Feelings”, Park Seonwoo. Korean Literature Now, Vol. 66, Winter 2024.
2023 — “The Phantom Schoolgirl Army”, Kim Tae Yong. Korean Literature Now,Vol. 61, Autumn 2023.
2023 — “Martian Child”, Kim Seong Joong. Korean Literature Now, Vol. 60, Summer 2023.
2023 — “A Future as Ordinary as This”, Kim Yeonsu. Korean Literature Now, Vol. 59, Spring 2023.
2022 — “Half of Half on Half”, Cheon Un-yeong. Korean Literature Now, Vol. 57, Autumn 2022.
2022 — “The Man Who Touches Waves”, Kim Soom. Korean Literature Now, Vol. 55, Spring 2022. Also published in Guernica, May 2022.
2021 — “Quitters”, Lim Solah. Korean Literature Now, Vol. 54, Winter 2021.
Other Publications
2024 — Marine Snow, Cheon Seon-ran, Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture, Vol. 17.
2022 — “The Man Who Touches Waves”, Kim Soom. Guernica, May 26, 2022. (Republished from Korean Literature Now.)
2022 — “Love After a Fortnight,” Park Sang Young. Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture, Vol. 15.
2019 — “The Chef's Nail,” Yun Ko-eun. Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture, Vol. 12.
2023 — “P,” Yun Ko-eun. The Big Book of Cyberpunk, Vintage.
2022 — “The Man in Black,” Oh Yuoonhee. Storytel, audiobook.
Essays, Interviews, and Literary Criticism in Translation
2026 — “AI Ethics and a Century-Long Repeat Sign”, Bae Myung-hoon. Korean Literature Now, Vol. 73, Fall 2026.
2026 — “Boundless Like the Stars”, Kim Mella. Korean Literature Now, Vol. 73, Fall 2026.
2025 — “Where Are We Headed?”, Kim Mijung. Korean Literature Now, Vol. 69, Fall 2025.
2025 — “A New Ethic of Anti-Growth Narratives about Young Korean Women in the 2010s.” Korean Literature Now, Vol. 68, Summer 2025.
2025 — “When We Say Goodbye: Kim Ae-ran's ‘They Said Annyeong.’” Vol. 67, Spring 2025.
2025 — “Interview with Kim Ae-ran: Attentive Minds and Literary Forms”, Kim Mijung. Vol. 67, Spring 2025.
2024 — “Face to Face with Choi Eunmi”, Jung Yong-jun. Vol. 63, Spring 2024.
2024 — “Magnolia Melancholia”, Chunglim Jun. Vol. 63, Spring 2024.
2023 — “From Bookshop Enthusiast to Bookshop Owner.” Vol. 62, Winter 2023.
2023 — “If You Can See the Magnolia in the Valley”. Vol. 59, Spring 2023.
2022 — “Nobody Killed the Radio Star”, Kim Byoung Jin. Vol. 58, Winter 2022.
2022 — “The Place of Hope.” Vol. 57, Autumn 2022.
2022 — “Interview with Kim Seung-hee: Poetry Through the Power of Paradox.” Vol. 56, Summer 2022.
2022 — “The Female Family Tree: A Genealogy of Solidarity and Its Legacy”. Vol. 55, Spring 2022.
2020 — “Why Does Korean Lit Have a Serious and Heavy Image?”, Kim Mijung. Vol. 50, Winter 2020.
Professional Experience
Lecturer, LTI Korea Translation Academy, 2023-present
Education
PhD Candidate (ABD), Seoul National University, Korean Language and Literature, 2023–present
MA, Seoul National University, Modern Korean Literature, 2019
BA, University of Washington, Korean Language, 2016
BS, University of Washington, Applied Physics, 2016