Jang Young-jin was born in 1959 in Gyeongseong, Hamgyeongbuk-do, North Korea, and was raised in Cheongjin. After graduating people's school and middle school, he was called to serve his military duty midway through his study at the Kim Hyong Jik University of Education. After discharge, he worked as a common laborer until March 20, 1996, when he crossed the Dumangang River and defected to China. When his attempts to cross over to South Korea failed after a year and a month, he returned to North Korea, advanced south on foot, and finally succeeded in crossing the east end of the Military Demarcation Line at the dawn of April 27, 1997. Since his settlement in South Korea, Jang has rekindled his passion for literature and devoted himself to writing novels.