‘Kim Ji-young Born in 1982’ is best-selling Asian book in Japan

“Kim Ji-young Born in 1982,” a novel describing the life of an ordinary Korean housewife on a career break, has become the best-seller in the Asian literature category of the online shopping site Amazon Japan. The Japanese version of Korea’s popular feminism novel was published in Japan on Dec. 8. It ranked No. 1 in Amazon Japan’s Asia Literature sales three days later. “It is very unusual for a Korean novel to become a best-seller in Japan, considering the country’s particularly well-developed domestic market,” an official with the publisher Minumsa told The Korea Times Wednesday. “The Japanese publisher has decided to do a second edition of the Japanese version.”
The original Korean novel has sold over 1 million copies as of Nov. 27. It was released in October 2016. The book, written by Cho Nam-ju, has been at the center of gender equality issues among politicians and celebrities in Korea. Its popularity has been increasing amid the global #MeToo movement. Japanese feminists, in particular, have showed their support for Korean feminists through hashtag messages on Twitter, including #InsolidarityWithKoreanFeminists in Korean.

By Jung Da-min

(Korea Times)