Misogyny in South Korea - a deep-rooted problem

In the first years of its introduction to public readers, Kim Ji Young, Born 1982 by Cho Nam Joo triggered a storm of public opinion in South Korea, especially among South Korean men. The book is about a woman named Kim Ji Young, who was born in 1982, a normal woman like every other South Korean woman. A woman like Ji Young can be seen in any other book; however, what makes her special is her realistic story that was rarely told by any author, not to mention a female author.

Ji Young, throughout her life, has experienced every spectrum of misogyny, or gender discrimination that is straightly aimed at women: from simply being born as a girl, being a sister who had to give all the best for her little brother, being mistreated at school because she is a girl, giving up her dream to fulfil her family wish, having a hard time to find a job as men are preferred because women will get married and have children, experiencing harassment at work and getting hard to have an upgrade in career ladder to finally giving up the career that she has built to become a stay-at-home mother.

But Ji Young's story is not her own, it is not distinct, it is also her mother's story and even her grandmother's story. The patriarchal system in South Korea has existed for so long that it permeates into the thoughts of every person in this country, making it hard to accept that the system is problematic and wrongful in the current society. And that may also be what makes South Korean men have a huge rage at the book.

After Ji Young gave birth to her child, her world gradually collapsed as she was caught in the whirlwind of motherhood. She then went through a period of psychological distress, when she sometimes abruptly totally turned into some woman in her life (her mother, her grandmother, her friend even). She acted just like them and spoke like how they would speak. Her strange actions made her husband slowly realise she had a problem, they had a problem, and he must help her to fix it, they must together fix it.

Ji Young’s situation is an implicit affirmation that society's indifference and family’s neglect could cause a person agony, emphasizing the man’s role in a family, and criticizing the way everyone treats women. Kim Ji Young is just a fictional character, who was made from the facts that Cho Nam Joo has researched and observed in real life, and in the end, she was able to have help from her husband and others. However, life in South Korea is not like that. Most of South Korean men did not agree with this viewpoint of Nam Joo. They do not think they need to change and women should be appreciated. In their eyes, women are no other than domestic workers, bearing children, giving birth, doing household chores, serving their husbands and husbands’ families.

The anger can further be demonstrated when a huge South Korean idol, IRENE from Red Velvet, goes out holding the book in her hand. She received a strong wave of boycotts and anti from fanboys and other South Korean men. Nevertheless, Kim Ji Young, Born 1982, has paved the way for feminist movement in South Korea, encouraging women to speak up and fight for their rights in family and society.

It is also a declaration of women's capability and a requirement for care and understanding from the man in the family to their loved ones. Perceptions and prejudices are hard to change; however, small steps and real stories can make a difference, just like the small story of little Ji Young can create a big wave in South Korean people's thinking. The success of the book has also led to its adaptation as a movie with the same name, bringing even more echo to change.