“I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki” author Baek Se-hee dead at 35

Baek Se-hee, the best-selling South Korean author, died on Thursday at the age of 35. 

The author became well-known with her best-selling memoir I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki, which was published in 2018, and its sequel, I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki, which was released in 2024.

Originally published in Korean, the book rose to popularity and fame after being translated into English in 2022, becoming an international success.

The book revolves around conversations between Se-hee and her psychiatrist about mental health and depression. The book became a cultural phenomenon, striking a chord with people all around the world, according to the BBC.

The first memoir sold 600,000 copies in Korea and approximately one million copies globally, according to the Guardian. It was published in more than 25 countries. The sequel was first released in Korean in 2019 and then translated into English in 2024.

According to The Guardian, it remains unclear what caused Baek Se-hee's death. The Korean Organ Donation Agency announced on Friday that the late author donated her organs, including her heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs, which saved five lives. 

The organs were collected at the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan following her death. The Independent said that Se-hee was born in the same hospital in Gyeonggi Province, north of Seoul.