Young’s primary and secondary education was in Yecheon, a small rural village of the Gyeongsang Province in the Republic of Korea.  During this time, he was constantly painting and became interested in the architecture and design related to art.

After finishing high school in 1983, at the age of 20, he left his family and hometown for Seoul.  Here, he experienced both a new world and a new culture in the complicated urban life, and it was here he decided to become an artist.

In 1990 he graduated from Hongik University’s College of Fine Arts, where he later earned his masters degree.  In Korea, he received the Central Art Contest Grand prix  (1992), the National Art Exhibition Grand Prix (1993), among many others.

Since his first solo exhibition in 1994, he has exhibited new paintings, drawings, and installations in biannual private exhibitions.  His 40 solo exhibitions have been held in Tokyo, Berlin, Munich, and New York, and he has participated in various overseas art fairs including Art Cologne, Chicago Art Fair, as well as numerous European and U.S. art fairs. Because of his numerous travels, he has worked on creative artworks and joined more than 300 group exhibitions at home and abroad.