Politics / Culture (Pro-Japanese Anti-National Collaborator)
| Life | 1911 ~ 1991 |
| Era | 근현대 |
| Clan | 하동 정씨 |
Jeong Bi-seok was a figure active in politics and culture during the late Korean Empire and Japanese colonial period.
Pro-Japanese activities: He promoted conscription and the volunteer soldier system, took part in writings and events promoting Japanese-Korean assimilation and imperialization, and served as a secretary of the Joseon Writers' Patriotic Association. For these activities he was named by the government's Committee for the Investigation of Pro-Japanese Collaborator Activities and included in the Dictionary of Pro-Japanese Collaborators compiled by the Center for Historical Truth and Justice.
Born Seo Juk in Uiju, North Pyongan Province, in 1911, he took the pen name "Bi-seok" given to him by his mentor, novelist Kim Dong-in, and studied in Japan from 1932. After liberation he became a popular novelist, and from January to August 1954 serialized his novel Madame Freedom (Jayu Buin) in 215 installments in the Seoul Sinmun. The novel, about a professor's wife who strays outside her marriage, ignited unprecedented public controversy over its frank depiction of sexuality and became one of Korea's first true bestsellers. In his later years he turned to writing historical fiction.