Jeon Sungtae is a writer who thinks that the contradiction of South Korean society arises from the special nature of being a divided nation.

Therefore, the various characters in Jeon Sungtae’s fiction agonize over the tragic situation of war and division between North and South Korea, while at the same time also suffering from the oppressive reality that such conditions give rise to.

His published works include the short story collections Dubeonui jahwasang (두번의 자화상 The Second Self-Portrait), Wolves (늑대), Kukkyeongeul neomneun il (국경을 넘는 일 Over The Border), and Maehyang (매향 Burying Incense); the novel Yeoja ibalsa (여자 이발사 The Female Barber); and the book of essays Sungtae, Mangtae, Buri Bungtae (성태 망태 부리 붕태).

That is why he is considered as a writer who joins the line of authors Kim Yujung, Chae Man-sik, Lee Mun Ku, and Hwang Sok-yong.

Jeon Sungtae, who debuted in 1994 with winning the Silcheon Munhak New Writer’s Award, he has described his interests for fiction as following: "When I was in university, I did creative work in groups, and started writing for the idea that this was something I’d do for the rest of my life.

[1] Roughly explained, Jeon Sungtae’s first and second collections, Maehyang (매향 Burying Incense), and Kukkyeongeul neomneun il (국경을 넘는 일 Over The Border) were stories that he formed from doubts and questions regarding the process of practicing social activism.