[Journalism Internship] Han Kang's Nobel win sheds light on Korea's darker realities

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[Journalism Internship] Han Kang's Nobel win sheds light on Korea's darker realities

Published: 27 Nov. 2024, 16:17 Updated: 28 Nov. 2024, 13:26

A photo of Han Kang, the first Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature [NEWS1]

Ahn Jiho, Chun Elisa, Griffiths Katherine Anne, Kim Ryann, Reed Harry Lee

For years, Korea has been viewed as a country with a highly successful entertainment industry as its picturesque K-dramas and beautiful idols created a flawless image. People like BTS’s Jimin and actors such as Park Seo-joon attract international attention, overshadowing the downsides of this “flawless” society and casting these overachieving standards as normal.

Han Kang’s Nobel win in literature sheds light on the true nature of the conservative and patriarchal society of Korea, which was greatly overlooked due to the flourishing entertainment field.

Han’s Nobel Prize award has sparked awareness about the hardships of living in Korea. As her books have garnered a more global audience, they realize the difficulties of living in a Confucian and conservative country. Because of this, Han’s Nobel Prize can be viewed as an achievement for Korea but also as something that reveals a glummer side of society.

Deep-rooted misogyny and the brutal consequence

College feminists fighting for gender equality storm the streets on March 8, 2019, Women’s Day, in Jongno District, Seoul, holding various signs, demanding awareness about women's inequalities. [YONHAP]

Although Korea has developed greatly throughout the decades, issues rooted in passed-down misogyny appear perpetually.

From the Women’s Education Movement in the 1960s to a 2017 study from Human Rights Watch in which 80 percent of male respondents admitted to committing violent acts against their partner, it is clear that women still are not treated as equals. As of 2021, the gender pay gap in Korea was 31 percent, more than double the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development average of about 12 percent, explained National Public Radio.

Even seemingly minuscule customs in daily life demean women. Female employees expressed that on days they do not wear makeup, male co-workers will often ask, “Do you feel okay? Is something wrong?” according to Hwan Dan-bi, a member of protest group Haeil.

A protester referred to as Kim cut her hair short, leading to harassment from her own family.

“When you get an undercut, men stare at you on the street. They look at you up and down,” she says. "My parents asked me, ‘Why did you cut your hair? Have you gone out of your mind?’ They even asked me if I'm a lesbian,” Kim said.

While there still are many families who remain conservative, Korea has been making some progress in gender equality. Kim’s act led to a change in how she was treated by men. She states that men started to view her as more of an equal and her efforts to raise enough money to remove spy cameras in women's bathrooms scattered around Seoul proved to be successful. Kim claimed that she hoped to raise at least $500 online, but ended up raising $150,000.

Korea’s entertainment industry: How it overshadows the reality of society

The bitter reality starkly contrasts with the visionary image portrayed through the K-drama and K-pop industry.

Korea has garnered much global attention and success on K-drama and K-pop. Girl group BlackPink has made the Billboard charts and performed at Coachella, and even won the prestigious MTV Video Music Award for the Song of Summer in 2020.

Often, female idols and personalities in the Korean entertainment industry are portrayed as brave, confident and powerful. For instance, 2NE1’s “I Am The Best” contains the lyrics:

“I refuse to be compared, I’m telling you the truth,
If we’re talking about my value, I’m a billion-dollar baby.”

These words exhibit a different story from reality, presenting the message that a woman’s value is claimed by intrinsic values on their own terms. Despite this impactful message, the scenarios that some women are in are powerful examples of how they are treated as objects at times.

“Korean women, myself included, live in a country that views women as objects — beautiful things whose sole function is bearing children”, said Young-hyun, a woman who remembers when she and her mother were threatened by a man just for talking back to him when he was parking too close.

How are Han's stories telling the darker side of Korea's modern society?

On the other hand, Han’s books can bring a realness to readers that is otherwise challenging to grasp.

Even celebrities in Korea often struggle with the conventional norms of appearance, behavior and performance with little to no regard for their well-being. In K-pop especially, women are forced to undergo severe diets to fit an unrealistic beauty standard.

Camilla, a woman who recently moved to Korea from Australia and considered herself a healthy weight, has been told that “I would look so much better if I lost weight just because I don’t look like a less-than-50-kilogram (110-pound) K-pop star.”

A video from CNA Insider explained how every trainee is also required to be under 110 pounds. A K-pop trainee, Yanagi Mizuho, consumed less than 300 calories per day while enduring harsh dance training. She even had signs of anemia due to her extreme eating and exercise patterns.

This theme of having a perfect appearance is depicted in Han's 2007 book “The Vegetarian,” in which the protagonist, Yeong-hye, suffers from eating disorders.

Yeong-hye's rejection of meat serves as a metaphor for opposing societal norms. This highlights the oppression women go through to conform to external standards. Her eventual breakdown is reflective of the emotional toll that such expectations take on women, a true trauma that many female entertainers in Korea face. From this perspective, “The Vegetarian” explores the damaging obsession with gender, beauty and control that can manifest in destructive ways, often leading women to adhere through the strain of trying to meet these unrealistic ideals.

Han often applies her own experiences to her writing in the form of her protagonists, which makes her books more realistic and heartfelt. Han was born in Gwangju, in 1970, and she moved to Seoul before the age of nine.

In Han’s book, “Human Acts” (2014), the plot follows the loss and mourning of loved ones due to the Gwangju uprising. Despite the danger that young protesters faced, they endured and continued to fight. Even after death, a schoolboy named Jeong-da worries about the safety of his friends. Purity and chastity can be observed in the characters through Han’s own experiences of living in Gwangju.

In 2024, Han’s work was recognized globally as she became the first Asian and Korean woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, providing Korea with even more international acclaim.

How Han's Nobel is affecting Korean literature

A woman buying Han Kang’s books at Kyobo Book Store in Gwanghwamun, Seoul. [YONHAP]

Han's win of the Nobel Prize has brought many people to explore her work. Her bookstore in central Seoul's Seochon neighborhood sells out in under five minutes once the door opens.

Due to Han’s award, many people now acknowledge both the struggles that many women in Korea face and those who express themselves outside of the common norms.

Andina, a reviewer of “The Vegetarian” who has visited Korea many times, read Han’s book and said, “It is tough and not always pleasant to be Korean — traditions and society put pressure on each individual, especially on women, to comply and be responsible […] I understood there still is the expectation that the women should follow men’s orders and put the well-being of the family above hers, a theme that was present in this novel.”

Han’s success as an author resonates with critics and ordinary readers alike, enhancing her ability to raise global awareness through her books.

BY AHN JIHO, CHUN ELISA, GRIFFITHS KATHERINE ANNE, KIM RYANN, REED HARRY LEE