Journalist & author of Flowers of Fire: The Inside Story of South Korea's Feminist Movement and What It Means for Women's Rights Worldwide (March 2023). Formerly AFP Seoul correspondent.
South Korea came the 105th among the 146 nations in the World Economic Forum's gender equality rankings in 2023, falling from 99th last year (the world's 10th largest economy has hovered around 100-110th in the annual survey for years). The country -- along with Myanmar & Fiji -- was also cited as a place where women's political representation "regressed most" in Asia-Pacific.
https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-gender-gap-report-2023
I had the pleasure of talking about feminism & antifeminism in South Korea, the "birth strike" among young women & why I wrote Flowers of Fire in this interview with triplejHack, a current affairs radio program for young Australians. Tune in if interested (my segment begins around 17 minutes into the episode)
It was a pleasure talking about Flowers of Fire for the Korea Herald Cover to Cover Book Podcast. I talked about #metoo, what the word "꽃뱀 (flower snake)" means in South Korean society, digital sex crimes, "no marriage" movement and many more during this episode that aired on International Women's Day.
When recipients of South Korea’s annual, tongue-in-cheek “obstacles to gender equality” award were announced ahead of Int'l Women's Day, one winner stood out from the crowd of companies caught with discriminatory practices, or a politician who recently made a sexist remark -- the gender equality minister, who is supposed to be the country's top advocate for women’s rights. I explained why in this essay for Al Jazeera.
Flowers of Fire is available in the US & around the world where books are sold (those in South Korea can buy it at major bookstores from Kyobo to Yes24 & those in the US can also join the Goodreads giveaway until March 30). I hope you'll enjoy the book.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/718956/flowers-of-fire-by-hawon-jung/
The book portrays key moments in South Korea's feminist movements past & present, and the stories of those who made them possible -- from the country's #metoo trailblazers to ordinary women who defied sexism in their own ways in school classrooms, corporate offices, or in their families.
After years of reporting, writing, editing (and banging my head against the keyboard in frustration), I'm happy to announce that Flowers of Fire, my book about South Korea's feminist movement, is finally out in the world! A big shoutout & thanks to everyone who made this possible.
For those in the US - I'm happy to report Goodreads is giving away copies of my forthcoming book, Flowers of Fire. If you're interested, follow this link and enter the giveaway by February 24:
Delighted & honored that FLOWERS OF FIRE is featured on this list of the Ms. Magazine‘s most anticipated feminist books of 2023, which described the book "timely and important exploration of feminism in South Korea."
https://msmagazine.com/2023/01/25/anticipated-feminist-books-2023/
Important story on how the East Asian nations -- faced with the rock-bottom birthrates and rapidly-aging population but reluctant to accept immigration -- are forced to experiment with new policy changes. As local businesses grapple with the lack of young workers and many poverty-stricken retirees feel they have no choice but to keep working, countries like Japan and South Korea are trying to raise retirement ages, or encouraging firms to hire more elderly workers.
Honored & excited that Publishers' Weekly reviewed Flowers of Fire: The Inside Story of South Korea’s Feminist Movement and What It Means for Women’s Rights Worldwide, calling it an "invigorating debut" & "a full-throated rallying cry."
If you're interested, you can pre-order the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/718956/flowers-of-fire-by-hawon-jung/
(Global conversations about South Korea tend to be dominated by topics like its pop culture and geopolitics with North Korea. But gender is really a key topic that has dominated many conversations among ordinary South Koreans in recent years -- at school classrooms, corporate offices, the news media, or internet chatrooms)
For those who've mostly seen South Korea through the lens of its pop culture, I hope this book could help them understand a bit more about the everyday lives of South Korean women, and their hopes & struggles for equality in a country known to have the biggest gender inequity in the advanced world.
Apart from #metoo, the book also chronicles the wave of feminist movement that has swept South Korea since the late 2010s & brought in many legal, social & cultural changes- e.g. the fights against digital sex crimes, abortion ban, strict beauty standards, the pressure to marry & give birth, or discrimination against sexual minorities.
Some exciting news: "Flowers of Fire," my book about South Korea's #metoo movement, will be officially released on March 7, 2023 - a day before the International Women's Day! After more than 4 years of reporting, writing & editing, it's such a thrill to know this book will be finally out.
