Introduction

The Korean people are keenly aware of their national history and of its direct impact upon their lives today. Recorded history reveals the passion with which the people have defended their land against foreign encroachments and worked tirelessly for national development. But the writers of this history have all been men, the dominant sex holding authority according to the Confucian patriarchal system; and all have spoken from the standpoint of the ruling elite, disregarding the main role played by the minjung, the grassroots poor, in the nation’s progress. The voices of women--half the population--and of the minjung--the great majority--are absent.

During the past couple of decades, however, things have begun to change in Korean society. A small but strong women’s movement is working to replace the structures of patriarchal repression with an equalitarian system. The mm-jung--workers, farmers, urban poor--are becoming conscious of themselves as the subjects of their own history, and are organizing movements to protect their survival right. The energetic development of minjung theology and feminist theology in Korea, with their rediscovery of the core Biblical affirmations of liberation, justice, peace and wholeness of life, provides needed conceptual support for the people’s movements, by upholding women and minjung as central subjects in their own theologizing.

Awakened to subjective consciousness by these various new cultural winds, women minjung have begun to speak out, to organize and to tell their own stories, "herstory", which is quite different in rhythm and resonance from previously recorded history.

The long reign of Confucianism with its "five cardinal relations" centered on the father-son tie; the national experience of colonial domination under Japan (1910-45); World War II and the atomic bombings; the division of the Korean peninsula into north and south by the US and USSR; the resultant Korean War, which has never been completely settled; the continued presence of tens of thousands of US military troops in the South; the long-term sacrifice of agriculture for export-oriented industrialization dependent on foreign capital loans and a low-wage labor force; suppression of democratic growth, and militarization of society under successive dictatorships; and the ever widening gap between rich and poor--all these historical trends and events have affected women minjung more gravely than they have other sectors of the population. Why? Precisely because they are both poor and women.

The women who tell their stories here have much in common. From childhood they had to eat poorer food than their brothers, and were deprived of education. Forced to marry men of their parents’ choice, some experienced near-slavery under subjugation to their husbands’ families. They were isolated from society, but did all sorts of work in order to survive and feed their families. Under the patriarchal ideology which viewed them as male property, they were liable to beatings and other abuse. They and their families were often sick due to malnutrition, but they lacked money for medical treatment. When employed, their wages were less than half those of men. They had no place to entrust their children while they worked. Their children, especially their daughters, have inherited their deprivation. In spite of this severe oppression, however, these women have fought for life, with hope, endurance, creativity and--most of all--courage.

Women’s struggles have resulted in several important recent steps toward a more equal society. Although it is not yet well enforced, a new Equal Employment Law guarantees fair treatment in wages and working conditions. After 37 years of struggle by women’s organizations, as of 1991 the Korean Family Law has been changed, allowing women to succeed to the position of "family head" and to register property in their own rather than their husbands’ names, and granting them equal rights to custody of their children in case of divorce. Eighty-three women’s groups are continuing their united movement for the complete reform of this law. Still needed are laws to effectively curb sexual violence, and to provide day care facilities for working mothers. Most of all, broad social education must be carried out to change the prevailing concept of women as inferior to men and subject to male control.

Women’s organizations are now tackling a wide range of women’s issues, from sexual abuse to workers’ rights. A Women’s Hot Line provides telephone counselling and emergency assistance, and the Women’s Newspaper reports on all aspects of women’s lives from the perspective of women’s equal rights and capabilities for social development. Many church women’s organizations, including Korea Church Women United, the Korean Association of Women Theologians and the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Churches in Korea, are cooperating with secular women’s movements for social reform. Most promising is the ever-growing number of minjung women’s organizations, which are forming a base from which poor women can begin to stand up and speak about their problems and their dreams, and act together to build a new history for themselves, their children and their communities.

I would like to thank everyone who helped with the preparation of this small book: first, the story tellers themselves, who shared their experiences in the hope that this would lead to broader awareness of women’s common suffering and need for solidarity; and next, those who introduced me to these brave women and encouraged me in this project. My special thanks go to Kang Myung-Soon for her contribution of the urban poor woman’s story from her personal repertoire. Thanks also to: Yoon Young-Ae and Pae Jin-Su of Korea Church Women United, Prof. Lee Oo-Chung of Korean Women’s Associations United, National Assembly Member Park Young-Sook, Ahn Sang-Nim of the Institute for Asian Feminist Theology, Rev. Cho Hwa-Sun of the Korean Association of Women Theologians, Faye Moon and Yu Bok-Nim of "My Sister’s Place", Rev. Lee Sun-Ai of "In God’s Image", Hwangji Church mission worker Hoh Mi-Hae, Presbyterian rural mission worker Kim Kum-Sun, the Korean Christian Farmers Federation, Fr. Kim Song-Hun of the Christian Urban Poor Mission, and Kim Ha-Bum of NCCK’s Communications Dept. I am grateful to Gertrude Kennedy and Marion Pope for reading and commenting on the manuscript.

The stories, aside from minimum editorial changes and the use of pseudonyms to protect their authors’ identity, are just as the women told them. Some give a more complete picture of their authors’ lives than others, but all enlighten and challenge us to build closer relations in solidarity with our minjung sisters. I hope that they will evoke further sharing by Asian minjung women of their different but similar stories.

Finally, I want to thank the Urban Rural Mission Committee of Christian Conference of Asia for its support making this publication possible.

Marion Kim