Kim Nae-seong (; May 29, 1909 – February 19, 1957) was a Korean writer. Born in Pyongyang in what is today North Korea, he graduated from the German literature course at Waseda University in Tokyo. He later moved to Seoul in what is today South Korea and made his debut in 1939 with The Demon Man, published in The Chosun Ilbo. He later worked on detective novels such as The White Mask and The White Tower. An unparalleled mystery fiction writer in colonial Korea, he was praised for his meticulously designed narratives and foreshadowing. As a writer of popular novels, he thought deeply on the mass appeal of literature and was active as a radio script writer after Korea's liberation from the Japanese rule. Ttolttoriui moheom (, Ttolttori’s Adventure), penned and designed by Kim, was the first Korean children's drama, which also signaled the beginning of radio drama series. Beginning in 1949, his masterpiece Story of the Youth was published in serial form in the Hankook Ilbo. Many of his works were turned into TV shows and films. While working on The Star of Lost Paradise, which was serialized in the Kyunghyang Shinmun, he died of apoplexy in 1957.
Life
Kim was born in Daedong-gun, South Pyeongan Province, in 1909. Under strict parents, he studied Chinese classics at an early age. At the age of 13, he married a woman five years his senior against his wishes, following an old custom in Korea at the time. One of the ways for him to escape the pressures of his marriage at such a young age was to read novels, especially detective stories. In 1931, when he turned 22, he ended his long-suffering marriage and left for Japan to study German law. However, when his detective story was selected and published by a Japanese literary magazine dedicated to detective stories, Kim began his writing career.
In 1936, he graduated with a major in law from Waseda University and returned to Korea. He married Kim Yeong-sun and started working at a newspaper and wrote detective novels. His first work in Korean was Gasang beomin (가상범인 A Hypothetical Culprit), which was a translation and adaptation of a story he published in a Japanese detective fiction magazine. Afterward, he wrote Baekgamyeon, starring detective Yu Bul-lan, which was serialized in a newspaper. He then published “Sarin yesulga” (살인예술가 An Artistic Murderer), which was a translated adaptation of “Tawonhyeongui geoul” (타원형의 거울 An Oval Mirror) published during his study abroad in Japan, and “Yeonmungidam” (연문기담 A Strange Story from Yeonmun), which drew great public attention. In particular, Ma-in, which was serialized in The Chosun Ilbo in 1939, became a huge success that made Kim famous.
After Korea’s liberation from the Japanese rule, Kim Naesung continued to be active in various circles. From 1948 to 1949, he was appointed as a non-regular committee member of the Ministry of Justice, and also served as a politician, working as a committee member for culture and arts policy in the main opposition party. He continued to write as well, publishing Cheongchun geuknjang and Insaeng hwabo (인생화보 Pictorial Life), and also working as a radio script writer. In 1946, Kim successfully penned and planned the first Korean children’s drama Ttolttoriui moheom, as well as a radio drama series Jinjutap, a Korean adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo. He fell ill while writing Silnagwonui byeol (실낙원의 별 Star of Paradise Lost) and died from cerebral hemorrhage in 1957 without finishing the novel. Silnagwonui byeol was completed by his daughter Kim Mun-hye, based on his notes. In 1958, a literary award was created, bearing his name, but was discontinued after two years. Kim Naesung Mystery Literature Award (김내성 추리문학상) was established in 1990.