Kim Ji-Young Born 1982

Controversial. Repudiated. Hated.

Kim Ji-Young Born in 1982 is a novel by Choo Nam Joo that gained a lot of criticism from Korean people itself. It is a story of Kim Ji-Young's life in childhood, teenage, adult and marriage year. She is a mother of one daughter and a full housewife. Her husband works as a big corporate employee. She was first noticed by her husband for having a mental illness after several occasion she mimicking her mother's way of talking. Dig deeper to the roots, all started from her childhood when she lived in a family who treasured the most of her younger brother. Then all continued when she started to notice injustice treatments received by her girlfriends and her, and the boys in her school. The sexual harassment she received from a boy in a bus who claimed that she was flirting with her. An old lady came to rescue her then later her father but when she got home instead of getting assured, her father told her to not wearing such a short skirt and blaming everything on her. The list of gender inequality treatment in her society goes on. Life got more depressing for Ji-Young when she became a full housewife and people talked behind her which one of them saying she just does nothing and only spends her husband's hard work money.

This is a bewildering piece of work! The writer puts a detail of statistics data that support her story regarding society stigma for women. Women oppression, gender inequality, conservativeness, mental health, depression, all puts into one spellbinding story. Some may hate this novel because they aren't ready to face the truth, but the truth soon will find its way and breakthrough. A super recommended meaningful fiction novel!

Notes: A film version is released in 2018 played by notable actors Jung Yu-Mi and Gong Yoo. The work was exceptionally great and Ji-Young's story was greatly depicted in this film.