Editor's Note

This issue presents special features on women writers, particularly those who emerged from the "Feminism Reboot" of the 2010s. Korean literature in the 20th century was dominated by men, but that changed in the 1990s after democratization and the rise of the economy. If you read literary magazines from the 1990s, you will find that names of women writers on the contents pages are strikingly more numerous than those of men. This trend has continued for almost three decades now and it is likely to continue for the foreseeable future, as long as Korean women writers are responding to Korean society, which keeps women in an inferior position. "Feminism Reboot" was one of the critiques of the resilient patriarchal system in Korea.

Personal income in South Korea has recently overtaken that of Japan. South Korea's rise is not only economic, but also cultural. Pop culture fans, including many young people around the world, are fascinated by Korean culture and new works coming out of South Korea. The popularity of Korean language programs at universities around the world has gone beyond the limits of what those universities can accommodate. And yet, by any standard, it is still undeniable that women in South Korea are victims of serious social inequality.

One of the social institutions that has been the driving force behind the transformation of Korean society is the university. Korean universities have educated and supplied the workforce that has fueled the country's economic growth. In addition, they have been regarded as an engine of progressive ideas that led educated people to transform a pre-modern society into a modern one, as evinced by the democratization movement. However, until the early 2000s, it was very difficult for women to be appointed professors in South Korean universities. In a department of Korean Language and Literature at a major university in Seoul, for example, out of a dozen professors, it would be typical not to find a single woman. Although things have changed somewhat, there are still only one or two female professors in such departments, even as female students studying Korean literature at the undergraduate and graduate levels overwhelmingly outnumber male students. However, it is strange but true that—even among professors or students, who were leading figures in protesting social injustice during the regime of military dictatorship—there were no significant protests against this obviously disparate number of men in the academy.

This issue's special feature on women's literature is divided into three parts. The first is a collection of seven stories by women writers published since 2010, guest edited by the literary critic Kim Mijung. Readers will find new styles and sensibilities in Korean women's writing emerging from the "Feminism Reboot," as discussed in her introductory essay. In the poetry section, Professor Eun-Gwi Chung has selected poems by women poets whose vibrant and engaging work explores key challenges of the 21st century. In addition, the section on the "Writer in Focus" introduces two stories and an excerpt from a novel by Kwon Yeo-sun, known for her idiosyncratic humor and attentive descriptions. Through this three-part feature, readers will be able to recognize some of the distinctive aspects of women's literature in Korea today. Finally, Imamura Eiji's short story, set in colonial Manchuria and depicting the struggles of a Korean trying to become Japanese, is featured with an introduction by Professor Kimberly Kono. It is a valuable addition to understanding Koreans of the colonial period. We are also fortunate to be able to include photographer Ok Hyun Ahn's works in this issue. Her works will give readers lasting insights into women's precarious position in Korea and the world.

May 2024

Young-Jun Lee