Cho Nam-joo
South Korean writer and author (born 1978)
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Cho Nam-joo (Korean: 조남주, born 1978) is a South Korean writer and author. She is known for her 2016 novel Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, which has sold more than a million copies and is often credited with propelling the feminist movement in South Korea.[1]
Cho Nam-joo | |
|---|---|
조남주 | |
| Born | 1978 (age 47–48) |
| Education | Ewha Womans University |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Notable work | Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982 (2016) |
Early life
Cho was born in 1978.[1] She grew up in Bucheon and moved to Seoul with her family at age five.[1][2] During her mother's pregnancy, Cho's father promised her uncle —who had five daughters— that if the baby was born a boy, he would gift the child to the uncle to raise.[3][2] Ultimately, she was raised by her own parents.
As a child, Cho loved reading, but she didn't have money for books, and the local public libraries in the poor outskirts of Seoul where she lived were barely functioning.[2] She borrowed the few books she could and reread those stories again and again.[2]
Cho attended all-girls' schools for middle school, high school, and college.[4] She graduated from Ewha Womans University with a degree in sociology.[5]
Career
Cho began her career in television as a scriptwriter.[6] She spent nearly a decade as a writer for TV programs about current events at a broadcasting station.[2][5][4] She left work to raise her child, then returned as a writer. She wrote two novels before her hit book, Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982 was published in 2016.[2] By 2023, she has published or signed for 10 books.[citation needed]
Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982
Cho published her third novel, Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982, in 2016.[6] Originally written in Korean, it has been translated into more than 18 languages and sold more than one million copies.[7][3] Cho wrote the novel in 2015 within a span of three months.[5][8]
Its publication in 2016 coincided with South Korea's #MeToo Movement, prompting a feminist reckoning and an urgent nationwide debate about gender inequality.[5] The book was described as a work of cultural "reportage" and a "social treatise."[5]
The book portrays an average Korean woman from childhood and through career and motherhood—the name Kim Ji-Young is the Korean equivalent of Jane Smith.[3][2] It is the story of a 33-year-old stay-at-home mother who is driven to a psychotic break by misogyny and expectations on motherhood in Korean culture.[7] The book is filled with footnoted statistics that reveal real gender inequalities in South Korea.[5]
A film adaptation of Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982, featuring actress Jung Yu-mi in the titular role, was released in Korea in 2019 to critical acclaim.[2][9]
Personal life
As of 2017, Cho has one daughter.[3]