As a graduate of Freie Universität Berlin, Marla Koch got their bachelor’s degree in Korean Studies in 2016 and their master’s degree in 2017. They worked as a student assistant at the Graduate School of East Asian Studies of Freie Universität Berlin from 2016 to 2017. After studying literature translation in South Korea for two years afterwards, they are now working towards their PhD in Korean Studies at Freie Universität Berlin, focussing on literature and queer life in South Korea.