Korean Women’s Movement Began with the Individual

On February 22, 1926, an interesting lecture was held at the Central Christian Youth Hall in Seoul. The topic of the lecture was “free love,” and the speaker was Kim Wonju (金元周, 1896–1971), a journalist, writer, and Buddhist nun known by the pen name Ilyeop (一葉). She is also widely known as the model for The Nun of Sudeoksa, and at the time she made the following argument in her lecture:

“Marriage is something one decides for oneself, and parents or the family have no right to interfere or intervene recklessly. Also, since marriage is a union between a man and a woman, there is absolutely no reason for others (third parties) to become involved.”

The young people who heard this cheered enthusiastically. Most older people, by contrast, looked displeased and disapproving. Given the influence of feudal society and premodern ways of thinking, this was only natural. Kim Wonju was a so-called “New Woman” who had graduated from Ewha Haktang in Seoul and even studied abroad at Japan’s Nisshin School (日新學校).

Moreover, she advocated “gender equality,” an idea that was not easily accepted at the time not only in Joseon and Japan but throughout the world. She led a movement to improve women’s status in order to champion free love and pursue women’s freedom and openness.

In this way, Korea’s women’s movement began with the “New Women,” who embraced modernity and an enlightened consciousness during the Japanese colonial period. Besides Kim Wonju, the “New Women” also included figures such as Na Hyesok (羅蕙錫, 1896–1948) and Kim Myeongsun (金明淳, 1896–unknown). Na Hyesok in particular drew public attention by publishing “A Confession of Divorce” in the magazine Samcheolli. From today’s perspective, divorce is natural and common, but at that time it was rather shocking.

In other words, they appear to have recognized themselves as modern “individuals.” It was around this very time that the concept of the “individual” emerged on the Korean Peninsula. But for that very reason, their lives were far from smooth. They had to endure pain and humiliation amid criticism and scorn from countless people who could not break free from Confucian values.

Even after liberation on August 15, 1945, women continued to face relative discrimination under the influence of patriarchal customs and were forced into certain roles shaped by the stereotypes of the times. For example, it is undeniable that they had fewer educational opportunities and faced various restrictions in entering public life. Such inequality was substantially alleviated only after industrialization and democratization.

In that sense, the significance of the “New Women” for our society today is considerable. That is because they saw women not as a kind of “class” but as “individuals,” and on that basis argued for gender equality. Considering that such claims were made a full century ago, they were truly outstanding “individuals.” It is something we must revisit today.

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Original title: 국내 여성 운동은 개인으로부터 시작되었다

Author: Seong-woo Jung

Date: 2019-12-04

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=free_opinion&pn=16&idx=22126