Korean Literature Night with Gong Ji-young

October 20 (Fri.) at 6:30 p.m.

The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C.

(2370 Massachusetts Ave, Washington, DC 20008)

👉RSVP here👈

The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (KCCDC) is proud to present Korean Literature Night with Gong Ji-young, on Friday, October 20 at 6:30 p.m., including a live video chat with the acclaimed Korean author of Togani (The Crucible), an in-person talk by University of British Columbia (UBC) Associate Professor Bruce Fulton on the importance of Korean short stories, and a screening of the 2017 animated short film The Shower (소나기) by director Ahn Jae-huun, based on the classic 1953 short story of the same name by author Hwang Sun-won.

Gong will discuss her influential writing career of more than 30 years, her personal influences, creative process, and future plans, as well as taking audience questions.

Prior to the conversation, Bruce Fulton who is a renowned Korean literature scholar and Young-Bin Min Chair in Korean Literature and Literary Translation at UBC will give a talk entitled Korean Classic Short Stories: Foundation of K-Literature. Fulton will explore the impact of pioneering Korean authors such as Lee Hyoseok and Hwang Sun-won who helped define Korean identity in a tumultuous 20th century, leading up to the explosive popularity of Korean culture today.

The conversation and talk will be followed by a light reception and free screening of The Shower (48 mins. in Korean with English subtitles) starting at 8:00 p.m. This evocative short film about lost youth and unrequited love is presented in concert with the ongoing KCCDC exhibition K-Animation with Literature, which looks at modern films by the celebrated Korean animation studio Meditation with a Pencil and the influential Korean literary works that provided their inspiration.

Gong’s novels include Togani (도가니), the 2009 work also known as The Crucible which became the basis for a 2011 film and was in 2023 published in English for the first time, in a translation by Bruce and Ju-Chan Fulton, as well as Our Happy Time, My Sister Bongsoon, and Human Decency. She has been described as one of the most influential living Korean writers and a trailblazer for feminism whose deeply emotional stories of exploited groups and have led to greater legal protections for vulnerable individuals in South Korea. Her books have sold more than 10 million copies in Korea alone and her novels have been widely read in translation worldwide.

In Togani, Gong exposes sexual abuse, violence, and exploitation towards minors and the handicapped in Korean society, particularly toward those in state care. Togani had a significant impact on Korean society in terms of public awareness and new protective laws.

Togani is based on a historic case of child sexual abuse at a state-run institution. The novel went on to sell nearly a million copies and, along with a 2011 film adaptation directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, prompted the South Korean National Assembly to pass the “Togani Laws” to provide greater legal protections for children and vulnerable adults under state care and harsher penalties for those convicted of their abuse. At a time when Korean popular culture drives cultural production worldwide, Togani reminds us of the power of fiction to effect meaningful societal change. (University of Hawai’i Press)

Fulton is the co-curator and editor of The Penguin Book of Korean Short Stories, published in 2023 and described by the publisher as an “eclectic, moving and richly enjoyable collection” that serves as an essential introduction to Korean literature.

Journeying through Korea’s dramatic recent past, from the Japanese occupation and colonial era to the devastating Korean War and the rapid, disorienting urbanization of the later decades, the anthology captures a hundred years of vivid storytelling. (The Straits Times)

Gong began her career as a writer in 1988. She gained popularity for her novels that tackled social issues concerning laborers, the underprivileged and those who suffer from societal discrimination. Gong addressed the issue of capital punishment in her bestselling novel Our Happy Time, which was adapted into the hit 2006 film Maundy Thursday. Gong is the recipient of numerous literary awards including the Yi Sang Literary Award for Wander the Alleyways Barefoot in 2011.

This event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is required via the following link: https://forms.gle/swCVcyqhbTZZNJ1k9