Novelist Choi In-ho died of cancer on Wednesday at the age of 68.
 
Choi make his first mark as a novelist at the age of 18 in 1963 when he won a writing competition sponsored by a South Korean newspaper. He later earned fame by writing bestsellers, such as the “Hometown of Stars” and the “Whale Hunt.”
 
The novelist was diagnosed with salivary gland cancer in 2008. But he kept writing and producing works while fighting the cancer. Choi published a long novel entitled “A City of Familiar Strangers” in 2011.
 
The memorial altar for Choi was set up at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital.
 
Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk will lead a funeral mass for Choi at Myeongdong Cathedral at 9 a.m. on Sunday.