Im Che

(pseudonyms, Paekho and Kyomje). Born 1549, in Naju; died 1587. Korean writer.

Im Che was the son of a military official. He served in the department of ceremonies. Im Che’s allegorical novellas, written in hanmun, are filled with biting satire. In the novella The Mouse on Trial (date unknown; Russian translation, 1964), he criticizes officials who embezzle state property and abuses in the courts. In Flower History (date unknown; Russian translation, 1970), where the protagonists are power-hungry flowers and grasses, the struggle among groups within the ruling class is shown. The novella The City of Sadness (date unknown; Russian translation, 1970) is the fruit of the writer’s reflections on the history of his country. Im Che’s talented verses in the sijo genre were included in a collection of his works (under the pseudonym Paekho) and attained wide popularity. Im Che’s works played an important role in the formation of literary prose in Korea.