“If you happen to live in Korea, you might always suffer from anger towards people in power, because of political and social problems. I felt gloomy under this social dictatorship. Looking back, I feel like I never saw a sunrise in Seoul.” PeopleIfsFeelsProblemMightHappensPoliticalSufferingSocialFeltSawsDictatorshipLooking BackSunriseKoreaGloomySocial Problems Author:Kim Hyesoon
“Living in South Korea as a girl meant living under a lot of discrimination and limitation. It was the same in my university and in the Korean literary world I am involved in.” WorldGirlInvolvedSouthUniversityDiscriminationLimitationKoreaKoreanSouth Korea Author:Kim Hyesoon
“Women are foils to men in South Korea. It is hard for women to take a lead role even in NGOs for political resistance. Men think women should do trivial things on the margins. They think women should be merely a seasoning for a dish. I feel anger and sorrow seeing this.” ThinkingMenFeelsShouldHardPoliticalRolesSeeingSorrowSouthResistanceDishesKoreaMarginsSouth KoreaFoilsSeasoningTrivial Things Author:Kim Hyesoon
“We have certain rules for traditional lyric poetry in Korea. I twist my body, confused by what to say and how to act, facing these rules. Confronting traditional lyricism, I speak with a bare body without the tattoos of culture on it.” BodyCertainCultureSpeakTraditionalConfusedTattooTwistsKoreaConfrontingLyric Poetry Author:Kim Hyesoon
“Korean feminism is on the brink of death. Korea has a less clear boundary between popular literature and serious literature than in other countries. I feel that feminism is abandoned like a product that was a craze in the past.” FeelsCountryPastLiteratureClearFeminismSeriousProductsBoundariesAbandonedOther CountriesKoreaKoreanCrazePopular Literature Author:Kim Hyesoon
“If you propose there is a feminism problem in Korea, somebody would point out that you are bringing up antiquated issues. No one acknowledges that discrimination against women is still widespread.” IfsStillsProblemIssuesFeminismDiscriminationAcknowledgeKoreaPropose Author:Kim Hyesoon
“It seems Korean women are enjoying a passive and fragile status, intoxicated by appearance. Not only feminism, but any serious discourse ends up being swept away by popular culture in Korea.” EndsSeemsCultureEnjoyFeminismSeriousAppearanceFragilePassiveDiscourseKoreaKoreanPopular CultureIntoxicatedSwept Away Author:Kim Hyesoon
“South Korea is one of the worst countries when it comes to opportunity for women in social activities and employment. To my disgust, in certain communities in Korea, you cannot even imagine how severe sex discrimination is.” CountryCertainOpportunitySocialSexCommunityImagineWorstActivitySouthDiscriminationEmploymentDisgustingSevereKoreaSouth KoreaSex Discrimination Author:Kim Hyesoon
“You cannot call a poem female just because it is written by a woman. Nevertheless, I think attempts to find femininity in female bodies, life, and thinking, attempts to find a way for women to speak, will improve widely in Korea.” ThinkingWayBodySpeakWrittenFemaleNeverthelessFemininityKoreaFemale Body Author:Kim Hyesoon
“In Korea, a woman must first obey her father, then her husband when she becomes an ajuma, and finally obey her son as a halmoni. Any woman who violates or lives outside of these roles is called a ch'angyŏ (prostitute).” FirstsFatherRolesSonHusbandKorea Author:Kim Hyesoon
“If you happen to live in Korea, you might always suffer from anger towards people in power, because of political and social problems. I felt gloomy under this social dictatorship. Looking back, I feel like I never saw a sunrise in Seoul. When I was at university, the policemen used to measure how short the women's mini-skirts were and how long guys' hair was. We were living under a government that considers her people to be soldiers.” PeopleIfsFeelsLongProblemGovernmentMightHappensPoliticalUsedGuySufferingSocialFeltSawsHairUniversitySoldierDictatorshipLooking BackSunriseKoreaPolicemenSkirtsGloomySocial Problems Author:Kim Hyesoon
“Living in Korea as a girl meant living under a lot of discrimination and limitation. It was the same in my university and in the Korean literary world I am involved in now.” WorldGirlInvolvedUniversityDiscriminationLimitationKoreaKorean Author:Kim Hyesoon
