MEXICO CITY.- The South Korean writer Baek Se-heeauthor of the bestseller “I want to die, but I also want to eat tteokbokki”transformed his experiences with mental health problems into a story that connected with millions of readers. Baek Se-hee passed away at the age of 35.
The AKorean Organ Donation Agency confirmed the news on Thursday, without offering details about the cause of his death. Furthermore, it was reported that saved five lives: donated heart, lungs, liver and both kidneys al Ilsan Hospital of the National Health Insurance Servicein Gyeonggi province, north of Seoul, where he was born.
Baek Se-hee cancels her presentation in Mexico
Baek Se-hee was scheduled to perform on October 14 at the Korean Cultural Center of Mexico Citywhere there would be a discussion and a tteokbokki tasting.
Nevertheless, The event was canceled that same day.with no explanations offered.
Who was Baek Se-hee?
The author established herself as an influential voice for the youth of the “social media generation”. Before achieving fame, he worked as social media director at a publishing housean experience that allowed him to understand the pressure and pace of life in modern society.
Baek Se-hee was the second of three sisters and studied creative writing at the university. During her time at the publishing house she began receiving treatment for depression, which led her to write her first memoir.
In her work, Baek wrote: “Even when I changed all the parts of my life I wanted to change—my weight, my education, my partner, and my friends—I was still depressed.”
The book combines memoirs and self-help, showing their conversations with the psychiatrist while dealing with conflicting feelings: wanting to die, but at the same time enjoying small joys, like eating tteokbokki, your favorite South Korean street dish.
“In the hardest moments of my depression I could still laugh with a friend, but when I did so I felt a void in the corner of my heart,” he added.
Published in 2018 and translated into English in 2022, the book gained international popularity, reaching the Sunday Times bestseller list in the United Kingdom and receiving recommendations from the New York Times.
In 2019 he published another memoir, “I want to die, but I still want to eat tteokbokki,” where he narrated his continuous struggles with dysthymiaa mild but prolonged form of depression.