June Hur is proving herself to be a tour de force of young adult literature.

Hur’s background in history and literature has allowed her to continually craft gripping narratives that are both historically accurate and impossible to put down. Hur is the author of three novels — The Silence of 

Bones, The Forest of Stolen Girls, and most recently, The Red Palace — all of which are set during Korea’s Joseon dynasty. The Joseon dynasty was the longest reigning dynasty in Korean history, from 1392-1897; 

with so much impact on Korean history, the Joseon dynasty has been the subject of countless adaptations in Korean media, from dramas to films and even music videos. 

What sets Hur apart from her peers is her ability as a writer to effortlessly balance history, heart, and mystery. (And including some romance for good measure.) It’s not an easy feat, but each novel manages to be 

more compelling than the last; not only are the Joseon-era murder mysteries enough to keep your heart racing, but they are chock-full of fascinating historical anecdotes, many of which Western readers might not 

have been privy to otherwise. 

I had the chance to speak to June Hur about the research process, where she finds inspiration, and what she wants readers to take away from her novels.

How extensive is the research process for your books?

The first book I wrote - The Silence of Bones - that was the most extensive, mainly because I wasn’t published yet, so I had years to really just lay the foundational knowledge I needed to write about the Joseon 

period. And during that time, I was able to pick up some really key works, mainly by diaspora Korean scholars about the Joseon period. These are works that I still use for my other books. My go-to book is 

Wrongful Deaths, which is an investigative record of how authorities dealt with and investigated crimes back in the Joseon period. That’s something I rely on for the mystery aspect.

Another favourite of mine is called Epistolary Korea, and that’s like a collection of letters written by Joseon Koreans. Reading those letters really gives me a more primary source kind of look into how people

actually lived and how they wrote, and just the flavour of the time. So I have a few key works that I always rely on, but then when it comes to more niche topics, over the years I’ve brushed up on my Korean

so now I look more into Korean [language] sources. I try to be as extensive as possible, and when it comes to history that’s really difficult to access, like when it came to Jeju history, it was really hard to find

more records of ancient Jeju Island. Back then it was a penal island, so I had the chance to actually go on a research trip to Jeju. That really helped kind of bring the history to life a bit more.

Was there anything in your research that surprised you?

Similar to the damo, and even the nursing practice in Korea, I found it fascinating that it all came from the Confucian rule that men were not allowed to touch women who were unrelated to them. That’s kind of 

a topic that I always explore in my books. There’s the patriarchy being like, “We’re going to divide men from women. Men, you’re not allowed to touch women.” And then it flips on itself because, “Okay, now 

we need to create jobs for women because men cannot touch these women.” So I just found that kind of unintentional subversion really interesting.

What do you find is the biggest appeal of the Joseon dynasty as a writer?

Even before I wrote Joseon Korean historical fiction, I think early on when I was really young, I would watch a lot of historical K-Dramas. I was drawn to the Joseon period mainly because I liked…well the very shallow 

answer is, “I love their fashion.” [laughs]

My more genuine answer is that during the Joseon period, it was very steeped in Confucianism, and so I love the culture and the customs and the court politics. And every aspect that the Confucian value touches in 

the Joseon period, I find it very fascinating. Especially as someone who focused on feminism at U of T when it came to literature and history, I find it fascinating the way that Confucianism segregated women from

men. Like if you look at the Goryeo period, it was much more different for women: they had much more independence and freedom and a sense of agency, they were given more agency when it came to their money. 

But by the Joseon period, it was very much inner sphere, outer sphere. Women belong at home, that kind of mentality. That’s something I love digging into.

Do you still want to continue writing stories in the Joseon period, or do you want to branch out into modern-day Korea?

I always consider it. I’ve always been interested in the Korean school system, but my writing style is just very…I’ve always written historicals, ever since I was 12 years old, so it’s very hard to step out of it. But I do think I might try writing maybe 20th century Korea in the future. But for now, I think I’m gonna stay more within the historical zone.

Which pieces of media were your biggest inspirations for The Red Palace? 

I would say probably Dong Yi. Dong Yi is a 60-episode historical K-Drama. That’s always been my all-time favourite historical K-Drama, and I just love how it really centres on relationships and how it has a nice balance between tragedy and humour. That’s something I kind of tried to echo in The Red Palace. I don’t know if I succeeded, but it’s a drama that I’m always trying to emulate the vibe of.

Who was your favourite character to write and why?

Hyeon from The Red Palace. She was the most intelligent and driven by ambition. Her being intelligent was easy because it makes her very efficient when it comes to the mystery aspect of the book. And I liked her ambition because that’s always something I struggle with. It’s like, ambition is good but it can always bite you and backstab you as well. I’m always really fascinated by how to balance ambition in a way that’s not too toxic, so that was really fun to explore, and a bit more relevant to me now than I was a teen.

Who is a writer than inspires you and why? 

I don’t read much of her work anymore, but I know it still impacted me. Her name is Jeannette Walls, and she wrote The Glass Castle. That book explored the dysfunctional family dynamic so well, and I think that really helped me also realize that I want to explore that in my books. Before Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle, I think I was much more interested in writing romance. Then after that book it was kind of a turning point where I was like, “Oh, I want to explore family now.”

Is there anything that you want readers to take away from your novels?

For me, I think of this in terms of who I was and my reading tastes as a teenager, or before I fell in love with Korean history. One thing I would want readers to take away is that Korean history and non-Western world

history in general can be beautiful, complex, problematic, and yet still really fascinating. And so, I want readers to want to learn more about history outside of the West. I love Western history, but there are still other

histories out there that aren’t explored as much and are still really fascinating.