Born in Goheung, South Korea, Keum Suk Gendry-Kim earned a degree in Fine Arts from Sejong University, Seoul and completed her artistic training at the École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg. She lived in France for 17 years, where she began publishing her first graphic novels for the French market, including Le chant de mon père (2012), Jiseul (2015) and L’arbre nu (2020).

With Grass (Drawn & Quarterly, 2019), her first graphic novel originally published in Korea in 2017, she achieved international recognition. Translated into more than 40 languages and the recipient of numerous awards, such as the Best Manhwa (2017) in Korea and the Harvard Award (2020), the work narrates the unspoken tragedy of the Japanese army’s sex slaves during the Pacific War, known as “comfort women”. This great success was followed by the books The Waiting (Drawn & Quarterly, 2020), Mañana será otro día/Tomorrow Will Be a New Day (Reservoir Books, 2024) and Dog Days (Drawn & Quarterly, 2021). My Friend Kim Jong-Un (Drawn & Quarterly, 2026) is her latest work. Based on interviews with people who have met him, the book explores the history of a country divided in two and reveals a new perspective on the figure of North Korea’s current leader.