Gender Across the DMZ: Friend & Kim Jiyoung Born 1982

In this minisode, we compare literary representations of Korean women navigating very different social systems. In Friend, the 1988 novel by North Korean writer Paek Nam-Nyong, Judge Jeong Jin-wu attempts to save the marriage of a famous woman singer, Chae Sun-hee, who came to him requesting a divorce from her husband. In the process of Judge Jeong’s investigation, we catch rare and meaningful glimpses of daily life and relationships in North Korea. On the other side of the demilitarized zone author Cho Nam-Joo introduces us to the life of Kim Jiyoung, a South Korean woman struggling with her mental health as a housewife and mother. Kim Jiyoung Born 1982 takes us through Jiyoung’s childhood, adolescence, and early adult life as she navigates South Korean sexism against women.