[2] When the Korean War broke out, Jo Jeong-rae and his family evacuated to the South, where he was unpopular with the local children and frequently fought with them, fights he generally lost.

His literary debut was in 1970 when he published the short story "A False Charge" (누명), after which he decided to devote his entire life to literature.

With the publication of his novel Han River (한강, 2002), Jo Jeong-rae finally completed his trilogy of works dedicated to modern Korean history.

[4] The epic historical trilogy, begun in 1983 and eventually completed in 2002, comprises Jo Jeong-rae's three most well-known novels: Taebaek Mountain Range, Arirang, and Han River.

The second novel, Arirang, is technically a prequel to Taebaek Mountain Range, and covers the Japanese colonial period of Korean history.