Kim Ji-young, Born 1982

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Kim Ji-young, Born 1982
KimJiYoung born 1982.png
First edition (Korean)
AuthorCho Nam-Joo
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
GenreNovel
PublisherMinumsa
Publication date
October 2016
Media typeHardcover
Pages192
ISBN9789864892655

Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 (Korean: 82년생 김지영) is a fiction novel by Cho Nam-Joo. A former scriptwriter for TV programs, Cho took two months to write the story as according to her, the title character "Kim Ji-young's life isn't much different from the one I have lived. That's why I was able to write so quickly without much preparation." Published by Minumsa in October 2016, it has sold more than 1 million copies as of 27 November 2018, becoming the first million-selling Korean novel since Shin Kyung-sook's Please Look After Mom in 2009.[1]

The story-line centers on a housewife who becomes a stay-at-home mother and later suffers from depression. It focuses on the everyday sexism the title character experiences from youth.[2][3][4]

Internal division[]

The book is made of six chapters, each one narrating a different stage in Kim Jiyoung's life.[5] The stages are as following:

  • Autumn, 2015
  • Childhood, 1982-1994
  • Adolescence, 1995-2000
  • Early Adulthood, 2001-2011
  • Marriage, 2012-2015
  • 2016

Plot[]

The novel tells a story about an ordinary life of Kim Jiyoung including a short family history, her birth, growing up and an adult life. The book presents not only the hardships the eponymous character had to go through from her early childhood but also the experiences of other women that she knew. It shows the discrimination and social judgement the women faced, what they thought about that and how they responded.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 as a feminist novel[]

Cho Nam-Joo says that it was her intention to "make this into a public debate".[6]

"I thought of Kim Jiyoung's character as a vessel that contains experiences and emotions that are common to every Korean woman."

— Cho Nam-Joo

She stresses that the hardships the Korean women have to go through need to be discussed publicly and the sexual harassments and discrimination they encounter should be taken seriously.[7] Kim Jiyoung is not entirely a fictional novel as it contains a statistical data "so that its message wouldn’t be dismissed as a made-up account of one woman’s experience".[8] Cho collected the sources she needed and finished a book within 2 months.[9] Her wish of evoking a public debate came true. The book turned out to be an international bestseller and in 2018 it became a part of the feminist campaign in South Korea as well as the "Escape the Corset" and #MeToo movements.[10] It also inspired the 4B movement.[11] According to Cho Nam-Joo, the Korean women still experience sexual abuse and inequality but not as often as they did in the past. Since they started to protest and speak up the situation began to change, though very slowly. Cho also said she believed the situation of women would not get any worse.[12]

Reception[]

The book gained attention in early 2017 after readers posted reviews of the book on social media. In May 2018, after the floor leader of the Justice Party's Roh Hoe-chan gifted the book to President Moon Jae-in with a message that read "Please embrace 'Kim Ji-young Born '82'", the book's sales shot up. It has sold more than 1 million copies as of November 2018.[13] But despite the novel's popularity and timely message on sexism in Korea,[14] controversy still arose when Red Velvet member Irene shared during a fan meet[15] that she had read Kim Ji-Young. Male fans began berating the K-pop idol, going as far as burning and cutting up Irene's photos.[16][17] Among the celebrities who appreciated the book were also: RM of BTS, Soo-young of Girls’ Generation[18] and Yui Yokoyama of AKB48.[19]

In 2020, the novel became longlisted for the U.S. National Book Award for Translated Literature and the French .[20][21]

Film adaptation[]

Main article: Kim Ji-young: Born 1982 (film)

The book was adapted into a film with Jung Yu-mi and Gong Yoo taking the lead roles. The shooting took place in early 2019 and it was released on 23 October of the same year.[22][23][24]

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ Im Eun-byel
  2. ^ Im Eun byel
  3. ^ Shin Joon-Bon
  4. ^ dramasrok.com
  5. ^ Cho Nam-Joo, p. 3
  6. ^ Alexandra Alter
  7. ^ Elise Hu
  8. ^ Alexandra Alter
  9. ^ Alexandra Alter
  10. ^ Elise Hu
  11. ^ Smith, Nicola (29 February 2020). "War of the sexes in South Korea as novel becomes feminist handbook". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  12. ^ Holly Williams
  13. ^ Shin Joon-Bon
  14. ^ Bonnie Huie
  15. ^ Suho_ftw
  16. ^ Suho_ftw
  17. ^ Claire Lee
  18. ^ Holly Williams
  19. ^ Yamazaki, Haruna. "「鏡を見るのも嫌だった…」アイドルの私が胸を張って「メイクって楽しい！」と言えるようになるまで". BuzzFeed (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  20. ^ Baik Su-jin
  21. ^ Chosunilbo&Chosun.com
  22. ^ Jeong Ju-won
  23. ^ Kim Hyun Eun
  24. ^ Cho Hae-min

References[]

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