Esther Imonmion
Baek Se-hee, the South Korean author of the bestselling memoir I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki, has died at the age of 35. The Korean Organ Donation Agency announced her passing on Friday, October 17, 2025.
Baek’s 2018 memoir, a candid record of her conversations with a psychiatrist about depression and self-acceptance, became a cultural phenomenon in South Korea and around the world. The book resonated widely for its raw honesty about mental health and its exploration of finding small joys amid inner struggles.
Originally written in Korean, the memoir gained international acclaim after its English translation was released in 2022. It has sold over one million copies globally and been translated into 25 languages.
According to the Korean Organ Donation Agency, Baek donated her heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys, helping to save five lives. A statement from her sister said the author had always wanted to “share her heart with others through her work and inspire hope.”
Born in 1990, Baek studied creative writing at university and worked for five years at a publishing house before focusing fully on writing. She had long received treatment for dysthymia, a chronic but less severe form of depression, which inspired much of her writing.
Her English translator, Anton Hur, paid tribute on Instagram, saying that while her organs saved five lives, “her readers will know she touched millions more with her writing.”
Baek’s sequel, I Want to Die But I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki, was published in Korean in 2019 and released in English earlier this year.
Tributes have poured in on social media, with fans and readers expressing gratitude for her openness. One comment on her Instagram page read: “Rest softly. Thank you for saving us with your honesty.”