[1] Choe Yeongmi's literary career began in 1992 when she published eight poems, including "In Sokcho" (속초에서), in the winter issue of the magazine Creation and Criticism (창작과 비평).

[2][3] The book, which combined satire of society and culture with lyrical descriptions of everyday life in the 1980s and 90s in Korea, has since been reissued in 52 printings, with a revised 21st anniversary edition most recently published in 2015.

It was quickly revealed that the perpetrator in question was the highly revered Korean poet Ko Un, leading to a national outcry and reigniting the conversation around sexual harassment in literary spaces.

Multiple other women in the Korean literary scene have since spoken up about their own experiences with Ko Un's predatory behavior, which Choe Yeongmi described as an "open secret".

"At Seon-un Temple" was also rearranged by Kim Daesung to be included in his and Kang Kwonsoon's 2007 compilation, "First Feeling" (첫마음); the poem was also performed by An Chihwan on his 2010 album "Today Is Good" (오늘이 좋다).

Several of Choe's essays about life, travel, and art have been published, including the collection Melancholy of the Ages: Choe Yeongmi's European Diary (시대의 우울: 최영미의 유럽일기), "To You Who Will Peek into My Diary by Chance" (우연히 내 일기를 엿보게 될 사람에게), and "Getting Lost Is a Real Trip" (길을 잃어야 진짜 여행이다).