Baek Se-hee, Author of ‘I Want To Die But I Want To Eat Tteokbokki’ dies at 35

Baek Se-hee, Author of ‘I Want To Die But I Want To Eat Tteokbokki’ dies at 35

South Korean author Baek Se-hee, whose deeply personal memoir I Want To Die But I Want To Eat Tteokbokki, resonated with millions around the world, has died at the age of 35. Her passing was confirmed by reports citing the Korean Organ Donation Agency, which noted that Baek’s organs were donated and have already saved five lives. The exact cause of her death remains unknown.

Baek’s 2018 memoir was a raw and intimate record of her conversations with her psychiatrist, chronicling her decade-long struggle with dysthymia—a persistent, mild form of depression.

The book’s title itself became symbolic of the contradictions many face, when living with depression: the desire to die co-existing with the small joys that tether us to life. “The human heart, even when it wants to die, quite often wants at the same time to eat some tteokbokki too,” she famously wrote.

Originally published in Korean, the memoir gained immense popularity for normalising discussions about mental health in a culture where such topics are often left unspoken.

Its English translation, released in 2022 by Bloomsbury Publishing, brought Baek’s voice to a global audience. The book has sold over a million copies worldwide and has been translated into 25 languages.

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Her translator, Anton Hur, paid tribute on Instagram, saying that while her organ donation saved five lives, “her readers will know she touched yet millions more with her writing.” Fans flooded her social media with messages of grief and gratitude. One user wrote, “Each time I read her book, I found deep comfort in every sentence and grew alongside it.” Another added, “To create a single book that can lift people up is no easy task. I have indescribable respect for you.”

Baek’s sister shared that the author had hoped to “share her heart with others through her work and inspire hope.” That wish endures. Her sequel, I Want To Die But I Still Want To Eat Tteokbokki, published in Korean in 2019 and in English in 2024, continued exploring her reflections on healing and survival.