Cho Nam-joo

Cho Nam-Ju (1978~) is a Korean novelist. She became a million-selling author with her Parinyeonsaeng gimjiyeong (82년생 김지영 Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982). This book reports gender inequality in Korea through the life of an ordinary woman named Kim Jiyoung, as it recorded accumulated sales of one million copies. She is famous for her witty prose and for writing realistic episodes whose form is similar to a reportage. 

Cho calls herself a feminist and continuously publishes gender-related novels. Cho Nam-Ju was born in 1978 in Seoul. She majored in sociology at university and worked as a freelance scriptwriter for a current affairs TV show for ten years. She took time off from her work upon marriage and childbirth and became a full-time housewife. Cho grew tired of committing her life only to childrearing and started to write novels at home. 

She made her first literary debut with her Gwireul giurimyeon (귀를 기울이면 When You Listen) (2011). After four years of a career break, Cho received the HwangsanbeolLiterature Award (황산벌문학상) for her Gomanechireul wihayeo (고마네치를 위하여 For Gomanechi) (2016) and published her second book. The novel, which follows a family living in a poor hillside village on the outskirts of Seoul, was inspired by her childhood experiences.

 Her next big hit Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 (2016), was written in just three months. Kim Jiyoung, Born in 1982 (2016), reflects on her own experiences of living as a housewife. It has been said that Cho wrote the piece aiming to directly address the discrimination and inequality that Korean women face in society.

 Kim Jiyoung, Born in 1982 (2016), became a million-seller in just nine years, which is unprecedented for a Korean novel. Cho published books mainly related to women’s issues, including feminist essays and novels. In 2019, she published Sahamaensyeon (사하맨션 Saha Mansion), a story about the so-called minorities and the marginalized such as seniors, children, LGBT, refugees, or the disabled.