21st Century Literature

Khervy Gwyn V. Acogido

11-Belardo

Becoming the voice of the unheard, Cho Nam-joo, leads the way on
ablazing East Asia’s #MeToo Movement

Born in Seoul, South Korea in 1978, Cho Nam-

joo earned her degree in Sociology form Ehwa Woman’s
University. After nine years as a television scriptwriter,
she turned to writing novels. Currently, Cho resides
with her family in Seoul. In an interview with Guardian,
“I want to write a novel that deals with the questions
that come up depending on the situations,” the author
stated, and keeping with that statement, her novels are
typically written in a simple style that avoids flowery
language to address serious subjects. In addition, her
books are regarded as having realistic and relatable
stories revolving the everyday lives of the marginalized.
In her years of writing, Cho has produced
numerous books. Her first book, “Gwireul giurimyeon (2011)”, centres on Kim Il-u, a
young boy with Savant Syndrome who is considered mentally retarded. The book
was praised for realistically portraying the world where people have grown
accustomed to snobby desires and the middle class citizens living there. He
somehow discovers that he has an excellent sense of hearing and takes part in the
“three cups competition” known as “yabawi”. The distinct, captivating, and
documentary like writing style of Cho Nam-ju made readers and critics alike notice
her work.
After her four-years of career break, Cho’s “Gomanechireul wihayeo (2016)”
was released. Telling a story of a girl who once aspired to be an athlete and admired
the world class gymnast Komanechi. However, as the years have gone by she
becomes a jobless thirty something woman who lives with her family. While being
similar to her debut novel that talks about the life of the middle class, it further
details generational poverty and economic polarization in Korean Society.
“Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982”, her third novel, draws partially from her personal
experience as a woman who chose to leave her job and become a stay-at-home
mother. The novel has made a significant mark on discussions surrounding gender
inequality and discrimination in Korean Society. It also caused a significant social
backlash against the backdrop of the growing feminist movement, quickly gaining
international recognition.
 Cho’s “Geunyeo ireumeun” (2018) features the lives of women in their teens
to seventies are portrayed along with the gender issues that comes with it. Married
woman with children, a temporary worker who is forced to work without getting
paid, or an elderly woman who looks after her grandchildren.
“Do laws and institutions change values, or do values drive laws and
institutions?
Revenue drives a businessman, and you can’t blame someone for wanting maximum
output with minimum input. But is it right to prioritize short-term efficiency and
balance sheets? Who’ll be the last ones standing in a world with these priorities, and
will they be happy?
See this here? This is Seoul. It’s just a dot. A dot. We all of us are living in this tiny,
cramped dot. You may not get to see all of it, but I want you to know: it’s a wide
world out there.
Even the usually reasonable, sane ones verbally degrade women—even the women
they have feelings for.”
Above is excerpt from the book “Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982”. This books subtlety
has won over readers from a wide range of backgrounds in Korea, despite the lack
of dramatic plot twists or intense experiences faced by the protagonist. Instead of
extreme scenarios for the purpose of narrative, the book quietly outlines typical
experiences that Korean women encounter in their daily lives – things that have
always existed but were never considered problematic until lately. In Korea, both the
name Jiyoung and the surname Kim are often used. Female readers recognize the
unseen struggles they must face when reading about Kim’s life. The books
widespread appeal serves as a metaphor for the suffering that Korean women have
endured overtime. Even though it’s fiction, Kim’s life is real; all of the details and
incidents in the narrative are based on official government statistics, news stories,
interviews, and research. It is both a story and a testament to what it is like to be a
woman in Korea.
It is with no doubt that Cho Nam-joo is a trailblazer in the feminism scene,
aming at those oblivious to the idea of feminism and gender equality She also
highlights the hierarchy, generational poverty, and economic polarization in Korean
society in her other novels. Bringing awareness and detailing the experience of a
Korean woman living with the subtle misogynies in their every day lives and thinking
that they were normal. “Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982” contributed on the start of the
#MeToo movement in East Asia, with her works, more women are coming up front
with their stories, saying, “I know how this feels”.
SOURCES
https://mindscapeinwords.com/2021/11/important-quotes-from-kim-jiyoung-born-
1982-by-cho-nam-joo.html
https://library.ltikorea.or.kr/writer/200129
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/feb/15/cho-nam-joo-kim-jiyoung-born-
1982interview#amp_tf=From
%20%251%24s&aoh=17001924338067&referrer=https%3A%2F
%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com
%2Fbooks%2F2020%2Ffeb%2F15%2Fcho-nam-joo-kim-jiyoung-born-1982-
interview
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2017/09/05/features/Bringing-to-light-the-
subtle-sexism-in-modern-Korea-Cho-Namjoos-book-reflects-the-discrimination-many-
women-face-daily/3038016.html