He studied Korean literature at Korea University at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
He taught Korean literature until his retirement at Korea University, where he is a professor emeritus.
Currently, he serves as the president of the Society of Korean Poets and Sisarang Arts and Culture Association.
He moved frequently in childhood because his father, being a civil servant, was stationed in various cities like Busan, Samcheonpo, Yeosu, and Mokpo.
After starting high school, he took a great interest in literature, philosophy, and history.
He enrolled in the Korean Literature program at Korea University in 1966 and received his master's and doctoral degrees there.
In 1976, Hwangsa baram (황사 바람 Yellow Dust Wind), an edited version of a poetry notebook Choi kept since his undergraduate years, was published by Youlhwadang.
Choi began working as a critic when his essay, "Kkot, geu sijeok hyeongsangui gujowa mihak."
(꽃, 그 시적 형상의 구조와 미학 The Structure and Aesthetics of the Flower's Poetic Imagery), won the Joongang Ilbo New Writer’s Contest in 1979.
He has served in a number of positions, including: the president of The Society of Korean Poets, Korean Literature Critics Association, Korean Society of Criticism, and Hwang Sun-Won Society; the director of LTI Korea and The Daesan Foundation; and a member of Arts Council Korea.
In 1996, he organized the inaugural Kim Daljin Literary Festival in Jinhae, South Korea.
[4] Choi Dong-ho is a celebrated lyrical poet and poetry critic in South Korea.
He has stressed the importance of spiritualism and geukseojeong ("extreme lyricism") in his critical essays.
Lyrical poetry has been declining in the South Korean modern literary scene, perhaps due to industrialization and the spread of digital culture.
He is concerned with how literature and language can retain their vitality in the digital age and how art can connect emotionally with readers.
In particular, he examines the paradoxical relationship between existence and non-existence in his second poetry collection Achim cheksang (아침책상 Morning Desk), and probes the issue further in his third collection Ttakttagurineun eodie sumeoitneunga (딱따구리는 어디에 숨어있는가 Where Is the Woodpecker Hiding?).
His subsequent works Gongnori haneun dalma (공놀이 하는 달마 Bodhidharma Playing Ball) and Eoreum eolgul (얼음얼굴 Ice Face) are regarded as inquiries into existence taken to the extreme.
His later poetry collections link the issue of existence to basic tenets of Eastern philosophy.
Choi evokes Buddhist thought on the void by referring to shadows, empty space, ghosts, and other intangibles.
Choi's poems, which perceive this empty space and the void, can thus be considered a culmination of spiritualist literature that deals with the beginning and end of existence.
Research Institute of Korean Studies (RIKS), Korea University, 1989.
『남북한 현대문학사』(나남, 1995) History of Contemporary Literature in North and South Korea.
『한국 현대시와 물의 상상력』(서정시학, 2010) Contemporary Korean Poetry and the Imagery of Water.
『정지용 시와 비평의 고고학』(서정시학, 2013) Chong Chi-Yong's Poetry and the Archaeology of Criticism.
『황순원 문학과 인간 탐구』(서정시학, 2015) Hwang Sun-Won's Works and their Exploration of People.
『최동호 평론 선집』(지식을 만드는 지식, 2015) Anthology of Critical Essays by Choi Dong-ho.
문흥술, 「‘시의 정신사’에서 ‘동양의 시학’에 이르는 거대한 발자취」, 『오늘의 문예비평』 62호, 오늘의 문예비평, 2005 Mun, Heung-sul.