According to the Korea Times, Kang Kwa Gil’s feminist novel Different Person describes abuse and violence faced by women in our generation. The book explores themes of feminism and issues of assault, and how gender roles work in modern society. After a horrible crime unfolded against a woman at Gangnam Station, women started to write and engage more about women’s suppression and threats against them. won the 22nd Hankyoreh Literature Prize this year, and has also addressed issues of sexual assault and date crime.
The protagonist Kim Jin-A sues her colleague and boyfriend for dating violence, and she is unfairly treated as they are only fined a small amount for their crimes. Her book shows how Korea is still enslaved to a patriarchal society with women being suppressed even in our modern era. Even though feminism has grown, there are still issues of violence against women. Her book also talks about misogyny and is a step to grow feminism in Korean society.