Born as the first of two sons in 1992, Lee Dong-hee suffered hearing impairment when he had measles-induced high fever damaging to the auditory nerves. He studied in general schools by wearing hearing aids and communicating through lip-reading. After attending Yewon School and Seoul Arts High School, he majored in sculpture at Seoul National University's College of Fine Arts.
However, after graduation, Lee Dong-hee couldn't sculpt. He neither had a space to work, nor made a living through artistic activities. Instead, he began expressing his creative desire as an artist through writing which wasn't constrained by space limitations.
Even publishing a book after finishing writing was not an easy task. In the challenging reality, he crowdfunded his first book "I can’t hear, but" in September 2020. He founded the one-person publishing house "Dongchimi" and managed all the publishing processes by himself. He attracted a lot of attention by cheerfully narrating his heavy stories experienced alongside non-disabled individuals as a person with hearing impairment. In his follow-up book "Walking Side by Side" released three years later, we can catch a glimpse of the author's further growth.

The moment you realized your hearing impairment

I think the moment I finally realized that my hearing impairment was different from others was when I entered elementary school at the age of eight. While my peers regularly changed seats in pairs or groups, I was always stuck in the front row, right in front of the teacher's desk. During Korean class, my classmate would always use their finger or a pen to indicate the current line of text we were reading. It was then that I gradually realized that I was a bit different, and that it was difficult for me to understand my teacher even though I concentrated on her face. That's my first memory and episode related to my understanding of hearing impairment.

Adapting to school life

Going to general schools was largely influenced by my parents. Despite my disability, they sincerely hoped that I could get along with and live with non-disabled individuals well. From a young age, I learned to speak by putting my hands on my parents' abdomen and vocal cords and feeling the vibrations.
For middle and high school, I attended specialized private school. Although I am embarrassed and worried that it might seem like a boast of the school, I like to say that the school, unlike my elementary school, had no discriminatory or ruthless peers.
Perhaps, that was because there were highly skilled students who were selected through fierce practical exams and competitions. I made many good friends whom I still keep in touch with to this day.

Admission to the Sculpture Department at Seoul National University's College of Fine Arts

If I were to pinpoint one of the most unfortunate aspects of being a hearing-impaired individual based on my personal experiences, it would be the 'lack of information.' Up until then, I had no understanding of how university classes were conducted. I didn't know that there were no classrooms or assigned seats in university, nor did I realize that I had to register for courses. I simply thought that I would continue the same routine of having a homeroom teacher and a designated seat for another four years, just like in elementary, middle, and high school. It wasn't until a friend who was admitted to the same university texted me, asking, 'Hey Dong-hee, what classes are you going to take?'. At the moment, I began to suspect there was something I didn't know. To take care of myself better, I learned that I needed to focus more, ask questions, and seek information diligently.

Your future career path

I'm not overly worried about my future career path. Part of it is due to my naturally optimistic nature, but I also believe that we're living in an era where it's not as difficult to earn a living as it used to be. It's not a time when you have to stick to just one profession. You can publish books, teach writing, give lectures, run a profitable blog based on your writing skills, operate a book review account and receive sponsorships, or even create YouTube content with the topics of writing, sculpture, or others. I'm already implementing several of these ideas. Additionally, if needed, I can pursue regular employment or part-time work. I also have a keen interest in investment opportunities or unmanned stores based on my capital. I tend not to get heavily tied to any particular job or occupation.