Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 (Translated by Jamie Chang) By Cho Nam-Joo

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 follows the life of a seemingly ordinary Korean woman named Kim Jiyoung—born in 1982 and given the most common name for women in South Korea. From childhood, she confronts gender bias: being overlooked, silenced, and defined by others. As she grows up—navigating education, work, marriage, and motherhood—her experiences mirror systemic discrimination and social invisibility faced by countless women. Eventually, the weight of this everyday oppression manifests in an unsettling change: Jiyoung begins to channel other women’s voices. Through this unsettling but deeply poignant narrative, Cho Nam-joo exposes how the cumulative pressure of sexism, societal expectation, and personal sacrifice can fracture one’s identity—and sparks a compelling call to reckon with the structures that silence women.

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