Feminism is an ideologically stigmatised term, in South Korea and elsewhere, which prompts ardent reactions. This dissertation discusses feminism through the story of the novel Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, published in 2016 by Minumsa, written by Cho Nam-joo, and presents the novel as one of the principal works of Korean feminist literature. Women in South Korea have been systematically subordinated to men and subjected to the institutionalisation of Neo-Confucianism. Patriarchally ordained gender roles are still deeply ingrained in contemporary Korean society. The dissertation presents the historical overview of Korean feminism, beginning with the early 20th century, at the end of the Joseon Dynasty and the arrival of Christian missionaries and the ideas of the Enlightenment, as well as the parallel development of Korean feminist literature, which stylistically and thematically reflected and impacted social change. This paper presents the author Cho Nam-joo and her novel Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, analyses the novel in the feminist perspective, and assesses the novel through actualisation. The novel Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 presented the problematic nature of gender-based discrimination and expectations, in response to the new wave of feminism in South Korea, and with that answer, became an international sensation, selling millions of copies worldwide, igniting both public and private debates on the position of women in South Korean society and in the world.
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