Cho Nam-Joo

Jamie Chang

Who is Kim Jiyoung?

Kim Jiyoung is a girl born to a mother whose in-laws wanted a boy. Kim Jiyoung is a sister made to share a room while her brother gets one of his own.

Kim Jiyoung is a female preyed upon by male teachers at school. Kim Jiyoung is a daughter whose father blames her when she is harassed late at night.

Kim Jiyoung is a good student who doesn't get put forward for internships. Kim Jiyoung is a model employee but gets overlooked for promotion. Kim Jiyoung is a wife who gives up her career and independence for a life of domesticity.

Kim Jiyoung has started acting strangely.

Kim Jiyoung is depressed.

Kim Jiyoung is mad.

Kim Jiyoung is her own woman.

Kim Jiyoung is every woman.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is the life story of one young woman born at the end of the twentieth century and raises questions about endemic misogyny and institutional oppression that are relevant to us all. Riveting, original and uncompromising, this is the most important book to have emerged from South Korea since Han Kang's The Vegetarian.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

82년생 김지영

Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 (Korean: 82년생 김지영) is a 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.

Frankie Ramos

Jiyoung said she’d discuss it with her husband, and was about to leave when the lady said, “I have a college degree, too, you know.”

For some reason Jiyoung choked up at the lady’s sudden confession. For the rest of the day, she couldn’t stop thinking about what the lady had said.

While offenders were in fear of losing a small part of their privilege, the victims were running the risk of losing everything.

Jiyoung did not feel good as she checked “NO” with her own hand. The world had changed a great deal, but the little rules, contracts, and customs had not, which meant the world hadn’t actually changed at all.

Do laws and institutions change values, or do values drive laws and institutions?

Her mother, face crimson, had smacked the spoon on the table.

“How can you say something so backward in this day and age? Jiyoung, don’t stay out of trouble. Run wild! Run wild, you hear me?”

The mother was against it this time. She knew better than anyone what it was like to give up on one’s dreams for the sake of the family, having made that sacrifice herself.

… Jiyoung got an earful from her father. “Why is your cram school so far away? Why do you talk to strangers? why is your skirt so short?” Jiyoung grew up being told to be cautious, to dress conservatively, to be “ladylike.” That it’s your job to avoid dangerous places, times of day and people. It’s your fault for noticing and not avoiding.

Her life choices, being Kim Jiyoung’s mother—Oh Misook was regretting them. Jiyoung felt she was a rock, small but heavy and unyielding, holding down her mother’s long skirt train. This made her sad. Her mother saw this and warmly swept back her daughter’s unkempt hair.

Misogyny at its finest. It makes me angry that women have internalised these views and have been conditioned to make excuses for bad behaviour by men. 

Saffia

The last question came from a middle-aged male trustee who'd been sitting at the end of the table and nodding without a word up until that point. "You're at a meeting with a client company. The client gets, you know, handsy. Squeezing your shoulder, grazing your thigh. You know what I mean? Yeah? How will you handle that situation? Let's start with Ms. Kim Jiyoung." 

Jiyoung didn't want to panic like an idiot or lose points by being too firm, so she shot for the middle. "I'll find a natural way to leave the room. Like going to the toilet or getting research data.'"

The second interviewee asserted that it was clearly sexual harassment and that she would tell him to stop right away. If he didn't, she would press charges. The male trustee raised an eyebrow and wrote something down, which made Jiyoung flinch.

"I would check my outfit and attitude", said the final interviewee, who had had the longest to think of an answer, "to see if there were any problems with it, and fix anything that may have induced the inappropriate behaviour in the client." 

She couldn't win: exercising all the rights and utilising the benefits made her a freeloader, and fighting tooth and nail to avoid the accusation made things harder for colleagues in a similar situation.

The world had changed a great deal, but the little rules, contracts and customs had not, which meant the world hadn’t actually changed at all. 

“Smart women are taxing” they say. And when she passed the law exam all on her own without any help from the college? They fly banners and toot horns. “Proud alumni!”

Everyone was jealous of his three children, his eldest a teacher, his second attending university in Seoul, his youngest, a son.

Entering high school meant a sudden expansion of her geographical and social world, which taught her that it was a wide world out there filled with perverts.

The world wants our uterus to be drug free. Like sacred grounds in a virgin forest.

She’d thought until then that mothers could only be mothers

Aborting females was common practice, as if “daughter” was a medical problem 

aemouh

Aurore

Help out? What is it with you and ‘helping out?’ You’re going to ‘helpout’ with chores. ‘Help out’ with raising our baby. ‘Help out’ with finding me a new job. Isn’t this your house, too? Your home? Your child? And if I work, don’t you spend my pay, too? Why do you keep saying ‘help out’ like you’re volunteering to pitch in on someone else’s work?”

I may not be Korean but I understand this sentiment with every cell of my body. Different nationality, same feelings

Autumn 

When asked why she picked those places, Eunyoung said she wanted to go someplace with few Koreans. The mother knew what the stickers meant.

Always warm and relaxed before he entered the army, the boyfriend was now a tightly wound coil of nerves that unraveled at the slightest provocation.

The percentage of female employees who use maternity leave has increased from 20 percent in 2003 to more than half in 2009, and four out of ten still work without maternity leave.

 Of course, there are many women who have already left their jobs due to marriage, pregnancy, or childbirth, and have not been included in the statistical sample of maternity leave. The percentage of female managers has also increased steadily but slowly from 10.22 percent in 2006 to 18.37 percent in 2014, but it’s not even two out of ten yet.

Doesn’t matter if they’re new or the youngest—they never do anything they’re not told to do. But why do women simply take things upon themselves?”

People who pop a painkiller at the smallest hint of a migraine, or who need anaesthetic cream to remove a mole, demand that women giving birth should gladly endure the pain, exhaustion, and mortal fear. As if that’s maternal love.

just finished the book earlier today and watched the movie straight after—already reviewed it on letterboxd so i guess that it’s time now to make a literal account and review the book here :)

thank you so much to my office friend mia for recommending this book to me! i think my life is changed a bit for the better after reading this. it’s easy to get through. the story sits on your chest for quite some time and there’s just so much to unpack… this is my attempt to do so:

a) a really nice quote that i think applies to this book is from jo march’s monologue in little women (2019): "Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they've got ambition, and they've got talent, as well as just beauty."

b) this book moved me so much because of how familiar it feels… i assume because of the general asian outlook towards women (daughters) vs men (sons). although it is set in South Korea, it only shows how universal women’s experiences can be. women experience such similar micro/aggressions everywhere… i feel so blessed to be so privileged and given so much freedom, and i feel so much rage for those who do not have that same privilege and are limited.

c) another thing that really hit home: i see my mother in these women. jiyoung and oh misook (jiyoung’s mother), who sacrificed so much to accommodate motherhood. they made it their lives’ work to be mothers. here’s a quote that really affected me:

“Her life choices, being Kim Jiyoung’s mother—Oh Misook was regretting them. Jiyoung felt she was a rock, small but heavy and unyielding, holding down her mother’s long skirt train. This made her sad. Her mother saw this and warmly swept back her daughter’s unkempt hair.”

i miss my mom a little bit more today. i can only wonder what went through her mind as she pursued being a full-time mother. and did she regret forsaking her education and career for a family, in her last moments?

hayz :’) this book was published in 2016—not too long ago.  i can only hope and work towards making the future a bit brighter than yesterday, for the women that come after me.

just finished the book earlier today and watched the movie straight after—already reviewed it on letterboxd so i guess that it’s time now to make a literal account and review the book here :)

thank you so much to my office friend mia for recommending this book to me! i think my life is changed a bit for the better after reading this. it’s easy to get through. the story sits on your chest for quite some time and there’s just so much to unpack… this is my attempt to do so:

a) a really nice quote that i think applies to this book is from jo march’s monologue in little women (2019): "Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they've got ambition, and they've got talent, as well as just beauty."

b) this book moved me so much because of how familiar it feels… i assume because of the general asian outlook towards women (daughters) vs men (sons). although it is set in South Korea, it only shows how universal women’s experiences can be. women experience such similar micro/aggressions everywhere… i feel so blessed to be so privileged and given so much freedom, and i feel so much rage for those who do not have that same privilege and are limited.

c) another thing that really hit home: i see my mother in these women. jiyoung and oh misook (jiyoung’s mother), who sacrificed so much to accommodate motherhood. they made it their lives’ work to be mothers. here’s a quote that really affected me:

“Her life choices, being Kim Jiyoung’s mother—Oh Misook was regretting them. Jiyoung felt she was a rock, small but heavy and unyielding, holding down her mother’s long skirt train. This made her sad. Her mother saw this and warmly swept back her daughter’s unkempt hair.”

i miss my mom a little bit more today. i can only wonder what went through her mind as she pursued being a full-time mother. and did she regret forsaking her education and career for a family, in her last moments?

hayz :’) this book was published in 2016—not too long ago.  i can only hope and work towards making the future a bit brighter than yesterday, for the women that come after me.

lahir tahun 1982

Kim Ji-yeong

Reading this book made me realize again how painful it is to be a woman in a world that keeps telling you to shrink yourself. Even now, misogyny is still present in many forms, shaping the lives of women in ways they never asked for. Because of it, so many women lose parts of themselves, their dreams, and their sense of who they are. I hope that Kim Ji-Young, and all of us who see ourselves in her story, can someday live in a world where we are free from these patterns. :)

Sai,

Overall, it's a really good (or bad) look into Korea and its misogyny. As someone living in Korea, it is exactly as is told in the book! Boy students are held to a much lower standard than girls, and the same bleeds into the teachers roles. Overall, a great read which hides little rays of hope, but ultimately should smack you in the face with how things are still extremely unfair in the world.

Max Riley

It's sad how so many women are able to relate to the content in this book. Sexism is a universal experience unfortunately. 

at times this felt more like a non-fiction book and i really enjoyed how factual and upfront it was about societies ingrained sexism. i feel like a lot was lost in translation unfortunately but still a good read. the ending honestly felt bleak with the therapists pov of him initially claiming to now be more open minded towards women’s struggles… only for the last line to be sexist asf “i’ll have to hire an unmarried woman next time” bruh. but really effective because!! things truly have not changed

didn't bring up anything i wasn't already aware of, so it kinda feels like i've read it before, but i also love this kind of book so who am i to complain!

Stas

Nastenka

being a woman </3 pain </3

cried loads <3

I know this book is supposed to show you the reality of the misogyny is South Korea, but I really can't feel the struggle from this book. The writing is so dry and uninspiring, I feel like the writer try so hard to be 'raw' but it doesn't quite capture the emotion.

catto fishu

Danniella

I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT ENDING WHATTTTTTT 

elinabel hidalgo 

The multi-million copy international bestseller Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is the South Korean sensation that has got the whole world talking. The life story of one young woman born at the end of the twentieth century raises questions about endemic misogyny and institutional oppression that are relevant to us all. A GUARDIAN 'ONE TO LOOK OUT FOR 2020' A RED MAGAZINE 'CAN'T WAIT TO READ' BOOK OF 2020 Riveting, original and uncompromising, this is the most important book to have emerged from South Korea since Han Kang’s The Vegetarian. “This is a book about the life of a woman living in Korea; the despair of an ordinary woman which she takes for granted. The fact that it’s not about ‘someone special’ is extremely shocking, while also being incredibly relatable.” Sayaka Murata, author of Convenience Store Woman Kim Jiyoung is a girl born to a mother whose in-laws wanted a boy. Kim Jiyoung is a sister made to share a room while her brother gets one of his own. Kim Jiyoung is a female preyed upon by male teachers at school. Kim Jiyoung is a daughter whose father blames her when she is harassed late at night. Kim Jiyoung is a good student who doesn’t get put forward for internships. Kim Jiyoung is a model employee but gets overlooked for promotion. Kim Jiyoung is a wife who gives up her career and independence for a life of domesticity. Kim Jiyoung has started acting strangely. Kim Jiyoung is depressed. Kim Jiyoung is mad. Kim Jiyoung is her own woman. Kim Jiyoung is every woman. ‘A touchstone for a conversation around feminism and gender […] Kim Jiyoung can be seen as a sort of sacrifice: a protagonist who is broken in order to open up a channel for collective rage. Along with...Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film Parasite, her story could change the bigger one’ Guardian 'This witty, disturbing book deals with sexism, mental health issues and the hypocrisy of a country where young women are “popping caffeine pills and turning jaundiced” as they slave away in factories helping to fund higher education for male siblings.' The Independent 'A treatise and a howl of anger […] it describes experiences that will be recognisable everywhere. It’s slim, unadorned narrative distils a lifetime’s iniquities into a sharp punch. The books demonstrates the unfairness of the female experience and the sheer difficulty of improving it.’ The Sunday Times

cee 

Kim Jiyoung's experience is one shared universally, so writing about it honestly isn’t anything new or surprising to any other woman, but it’s difficult and honest and radicalizing nonetheless. Written in a tone that’s emotionally numbing and clinical, backed with real news articles from South Korean presses, Cho Nam-joo illustrates the journey of a woman going mad from a powerlessness and a downward-projected fate she’s possessed since even before she was born. She details the unspoken and openly demanded expectations of women in the home, workplace, and society. Everywhere, women are viewed as both too much and not enough, mentally and physically stretched far too thin to maintain a sense of self. 

And yet in Cho’s depiction of the tragedy that is the female experience, there exists a glimmer still in the fact that this is very much real and shared. Beauty exists in daughters that help their siblings out when they realize what their mothers carry, in strangers that recognize a scared girl’s call for help in crises that don’t otherwise concern them, in one woman’s demand for action for the sake of all the women beside her affected by injustice. Beauty exists in the light of a community that uplifts and heals each other. Ultimately, as bleak as the circumstances are, I don’t find this story or its message to be as such. In the eyes of Kim Jiyoung, I see hope in a future still being molded by women unafraid to get their hands dirty if it eases the load of those beside her in a common struggle. And that’s the most beautiful thing.

joana ashley

Kim Jiyoung's experience is one shared universally, so writing about it honestly isn’t anything new or surprising to any other woman, but it’s difficult and honest and radicalizing nonetheless. Written in a tone that’s emotionally numbing and clinical, backed with real news articles from South Korean presses, Cho Nam-joo illustrates the journey of a woman going mad from a powerlessness and a downward-projected fate she’s possessed since even before she was born. She details the unspoken and openly demanded expectations of women in the home, workplace, and society. Everywhere, women are viewed as both too much and not enough, mentally and physically stretched far too thin to maintain a sense of self. 

And yet in Cho’s depiction of the tragedy that is the female experience, there exists a glimmer still in the fact that this is very much real and shared. Beauty exists in daughters that help their siblings out when they realize what their mothers carry, in strangers that recognize a scared girl’s call for help in crises that don’t otherwise concern them, in one woman’s demand for action for the sake of all the women beside her affected by injustice. Beauty exists in the light of a community that uplifts and heals each other. Ultimately, as bleak as the circumstances are, I don’t find this story or its message to be as such. In the eyes of Kim Jiyoung, I see hope in a future still being molded by women unafraid to get their hands dirty if it eases the load of those beside her in a common struggle. And that’s the most beautiful thing.

Mira <3

A very important book content-wise but still meh. Maybe a lot of nuance is lost due to translation. I also never realised the full extent of how much Korea just sucks ass, esp if you're a woman

Eva Ströberg

This book is the story of Jiyoung, a 30-year old something mother who suffers from some sort of nervous breakdown and her background story gives a lot of insights about how does it feel to be a woman in a strong patriarchal society in South Korea. Must read for women!

Kim-Ji Young, nata nel 1982

Camilla

4.5 ⭐

someone add this book to both the korean literature canon and feminist literature canon

safs

I desperately wanted to love this book. It centres the mundane to detail the effects of systemic misogyny on one woman's life in South Korea so covers a very important topic and one I am particularly passionate about. But there is one huge issue with the book! It is *very* dry!!!! Whilst the reasoning behind this becomes quite clear towards the end, I found it really difficult, even painful, to actually get through the book. I found myself putting it down repeatedly and reaching for others in the long month that it took me to finish it. This is really unfortunate because the book invites you to reflect on the countless ways misogyny impacts women's lives and could have made for a very important read for anyone, especially men (and women who have yet to grapple with this topic).

Louisa

I love how Korean fiction seems to have gotten me out of my last two stress/anger-induced reading slumps ! Also I for once can say I literally read this book in one afternoon, probably my lowest time to page ratio ever

** spoiler alert **
           Such a greaaaaat book!! I loved every single chapters from it. Feels like i haven’t read a book this good in a long time and i couldn’t be more grateful to have read this one because all the sexual harassment topics were very real & raw in working/office environment for women up to this day.

Madrid

The multi-million copy selling, international bestseller. Kim Jiyoung is a girl born to a mother whose in-laws wanted a boy. Kim Jiyoung is a sister made to share a room while her brother gets one of his own. Kim Jiyoung is a female preyed upon by male teachers at school. Kim Jiyoung is a daughter whose father blames her when she is harassed late at night. Kim Jiyoung is a good student who doesn't get put forward for internships. Kim Jiyoung is a model employee but gets overlooked for promotion. Kim Jiyoung is a wife who gives up her career and independence for a life of domesticity. Kim Jiyoung has started acting strangely. Kim Jiyoung is depressed. Kim Jiyoung is mad. Kim Jiyoung is her own woman. Kim Jiyoung is every woman. Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is the South Korean sensation that has got the whole world talking. The life story of one young woman born at the end of the twentieth century raises questions about endemic misogyny and institutional oppression that are relevant to us all. Riveting, original and uncompromising, this is the most important book to have emerged from South Korea since Han Kang's The Vegetarian. "This is a book about the life of a woman living in Korea; the despair of an ordinary woman which she takes for granted. The fact that it's not about 'someone special' is extremely shocking, while also being incredibly relatable." Sayaka Murata, author of Convenience Store Woman 'I loved this novel. Kim Jiyoung's life is made to seem at once totally commonplace, and nightmarishly over-the-top. As you read, you constantly feel that revolutionary, electric shift, between commonplace and nightmarish. This kind of imaginative work is so important and so powerful. I hope this book sells a million more copies.' Elif Batuman, author of The Idiot (shortlisted for The Women's Prize) 'After reading Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, I started to think about things in a way I hadn't thought about them before. It reminded me of the unfair treatment I had experienced being a woman and I felt like I was caught off guard.' Soo-young, member of Girls' Generation "A book with unique implications; I was so impressed." BTS RM "Written with unbearably clear-sighted perspective, Kim JiYoung, Born 1982 possesses the urgency and immediacy of the scariest horror thriller -- except that this is not technically horror, but something closer to reportage. I broke out in a sweat reading this book." Ling Ma, author of Severance

armoni mayes

I feel bad about giving this book 3 stars, it’s more 3.5 stars to be exact. The book portrayed real-life scenarios that anyone can experience at the hands of men which was insightful but the actual plot of the book was a little boring.

Natalia Cerrillo

Anjorin Molayo 

i really enjoyed reading this book. it’s a very relatable one as this still happen in the world we live in today where men are better options other than women.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

Reviews

Highlights