Lee Mael is an author and the founder of SPECTORY, a story IP studio based in South Korea.
The author writes about dignity, loss, memory, independence and recovery, giving form to feelings and experiences that have remained unspoken.
Books include The 5th World, I’m Going to Die — Painting a Dawn at Sunset and The Child of Clouds. Through SPECTORY, these literary works are developed into publishing, animation and other content formats for new audiences.
The 5th World achieved 408% funding on Wadiz, became a Kyobo weekly bestseller and was selected for KOCCA KCC 2025 animation planning and development support.
I’m Going to Die — Painting a Dawn at Sunset achieved 796% funding on Wadiz and became a completed 28-minute animated short. The film received a Merit of Awareness (Honorable Mention), was recognized as a Finalist and was named an Official Virtual Selection at the 2026 Awareness Festival.
The Child of Clouds is a literary fantasy for adults that explores memory, mourning and recovery through a 49-day journey rooted in Korean mourning traditions.
This recognition is independent of participation in the virtual festival. The film is not selected for an in-person screening. Online screening participation and details are to be confirmed.
Selected and completed the program; created Emotion, a mini-album supporting people with disabilities and young people leaving care, and presented a showcase.
Gyeonggi Province · Gyeonggi Job Foundation
Early Writing · 당신을 듣다, 공감을 쓰다! 당신 스마트폰 속 상담소
A collection of writing and calligraphy exploring listening and empathy; crowdfunding and publication.
Video Production · Eojjeoda Jarip
Lead producer for a YouTube project about young people leaving care, in collaboration with Professor Park Sang-hee.
