Women in Korea: From 1800 On

[Andrew Frank]

One of the most fascinating parts of Professor Jung-Kim's presentation, in my own opinion, was the discussion of the female part in Korean popular culture (since 1800). I truly had no idea that strong female characters began popping up in tales, even while the Choson caste system was in place. Folklore like the Tale of Ch’unhyang seems to imply that female autonomy was on the rise much earlier than I would have anticipated, and was not simply a by-product of Western ideology (i.e. the Brothers Grimm did not popularize "Cinderella" till 1812). My question, or rather curiosity, would be how female Koreans were able to progress, in terms of breaking societal standards, so quickly over the course of a hundred years? Was it simply a product of the rebellious attitude of Koreans under Japanese control that produced the Korean "New Women?"