Relay Column: A Writer in the Father Language: Cloaked in Korean (Yuki Konno)

"Hello, I'm Yuki Konno. I write about art exhibitions in South Korea and Japan. I'm presenting without an interpreter. Nice to meet you!"... is a joke I often say in Korean as my opening line. When asked if I'm Japanese, I'd usually respond, "That's a tricky question—after all, I went to junior high school, high school, and graduate school in South Korea." After graduating from elementary school, I moved to Seoul, South Korea, and now—within the narrow world of Korean contemporary art—I work as a critic and presenter. My formally registered domicile, family, and house are in Japan, which might be the only Japanese aspect about me. "Is Konno your pen name?" "Are your parents Korean?" "Are you a returnee?" "Did you move to South Korea for university?" None of the assumptions people make are correct. My parents sent me to study in South Korea alone after I graduated from elementary school, and without giving it much thought, I ended up spending 14 years in the country. There might have been a specific trigger for this trajectory, but predominantly, it feels like I have just happened to stay in South Korea for quite a long duration of time. It wasn't a significant migration or an envisioned study abroad plan. My mindset back then as an elementary school graduate remains the same to this day.