Asia17 October, 20253 min read
South Korean Author Baek Se-Hee Dies at 35 After Inspiring Millions with Memoir on Depression
Baek Se-hee authored the bestselling 2018 memoir chronicling her depression therapy. She died at age 35, with no publicly disclosed cause of death.
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South Korean Author's Passing and Legacy
South Korean author Baek Se-hee, best known for the candid memoir I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki, has died at 35. Multiple outlets emphasize that the cause of her death remains unknown while highlighting her final act of organ donation that saved five lives. Asian outlets NDTV and The Straits Times report that the cause is unclear and specify she donated her heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys.
“Baek Se-hee... has died at age 35. While the cause of her death remains unclear, the Korea Organ Donation Agency revealed that she donated her heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys, saving five lives.”
Western source Alternative Tempo.co adds that the donations were made at the hospital where she was born. The Express Tribune uniquely reports she was declared brain-dead at the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital before donation.
There is disagreement on the timing of her death: Rappler reports it as October 17, while BusinessToday Malaysia says it was confirmed on October 16. Despite these differences, all sources agree on her impact on mental health discourse and the confirmation of life-saving organ donations.
Memoir Sales and Translations
Her debut memoir, built from conversations with her psychiatrist about living with dysthymia, became a global touchstone. Sources differ on the scale and geography of its sales. Western mainstream outlet The Independent reports it sold over 2 million copies.
Asian outlet The Straits Times narrows the figure to around 600,000 copies in South Korea. Other outlet Emegypt balances both by noting over 600,000 copies in Korea and more than one million globally. Some Asian and other outlets cite the million mark broadly.
An Asian outlet from Azerbaijan goes further, asserting over one million copies in English, a claim not echoed elsewhere. All agree the book was translated widely, into about 25 languages. The English edition in 2022 amplified its reach.
Baek's Mental Health Impact
Baek’s candid approach—transcribing therapy dialogues and naming dysthymia—helped normalize mental health conversations. Media outlets vary in tone and framing when covering her story. The Guardian, a Western mainstream outlet, traces her path from sharing therapy notes on a blog, which was sparked by a comment calling her posts “a light shining into the darkness.”
“Inspired by a comment describing her posts as ‘a light shining into the darkness,’ she chose to write about depression, a topic she felt knowledgeable about.”
The Guardian also highlights her aim to “inspire hope” and provides suicide-prevention helplines. Asian outlets such as Moneycontrol and Hindustan Times emphasize her decade-long struggle with dysthymia and include tributes from translator Anton Hur.
BusinessToday Malaysia focuses on how her self-published memoir challenged stigma in South Korea. The Straits Times notes her 2024 appearance at the Singapore Writers Festival, underscoring her regional reach.
Publication Timeline and Bibliography
Beyond the breakout memoir, coverage diverges on her bibliography and publication timeline. Western Alternative UPI lists follow-on works and collaborations—No One Will Ever Love You as Much as I Do (2021) and I Want to Write, I Don't Want to Write (2022)—and notes Bloomsbury published the English editions.
Several sources agree the sequel appeared in Korean in 2019 with an English translation in 2024, but Emegypt (Other) claims a 2022 sequel release, contradicting weareresonate (Other), When In Manila (Other), The Independent (Western Mainstream), and Moneycontrol (Asian). Zee News (Asian) alone mentions a forthcoming short fiction collection, A Will from Barcelona (2025), a detail not corroborated elsewhere.
Tributes to Baek Da-hee
Tributes and reflections on her legacy vary in tone but converge on her kindness, hope, and the comfort her writing provided. The Guardian quotes her sister describing Baek as “gentle and incapable of hatred,” hoping she can rest peacefully. UPI likewise relays Baek Da-hee’s message of love and wishing her peace “in heaven.”
“Her sister described her as gentle and incapable of hatred, expressing hope that Baek can now rest peacefully.”
Other outlets spotlight institutional tributes, with financialexpress citing Blackwell’s Oxford Bookshop. Latest news from Azerbaijan notes fans worldwide paying tribute.
The Independent places Baek within a broader movement of South Korean women writers addressing anxiety and pressures. It frames her influence within contemporary literature.