Representative 'Pig' Expos? from the Poetry Collection 'Dwaejideurege'
"Figures with Power and Positions in the Cultural Arts Sector"
Experienced Numerous Sexual Harassments While Working in Baek Giwan's Campaign Team
Poet Choi Young-mi is holding a press conference for the publication of the revised and expanded edition of "To the Pigs" on the afternoon of the 11th at a cafe in Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Poet Choi Young-mi revealed who the representative "pig" among the many "pigs" in her long-controversial poetry collection To the Pigs was, the one who provided the impetus to publish the collection. In particular, Choi said she was sexually assaulted at the election camp of Baek Gi-wan, who ran as the progressive camp's unified presidential candidate in 1987, which is expected to cause a stir.
At a press conference held on the 11th at a cafe in Mapo-gu, Seoul, to commemorate the publication of the revised and expanded edition of the poetry collection To the Pigs (Imi Publishing), Choi stated, "Around 2005, or a little before that, I met someone from the cultural and artistic community. He is the model for the poem 'To the Pigs'."
She described this person as "someone with power in the cultural and artistic community who held a certain position," and "someone who arrived in a car with a driver."
Regarding when she met this person, Choi explained it was around 2004 and said, "It was not sexual harassment, but I heard words containing prejudice against women, which made me feel very uncomfortable." She added, "There were some more detailed explanations, but I do not want them to be reported."
She continued, "After meeting him, I felt uneasy and was in a bad mood for several days. It felt like he called me out expecting something, as if expecting pearls from me..." and said, "The biblical verse 'Do not give pearls to pigs' came to mind."
She also said, "He is the person who motivated me to write such a poem and made me write the first sentence."
Choi also revealed that during the 1987 presidential election period, when she was active in the campaign of Baek Gi-wan, the so-called progressive unified candidate, there were many sexual harassment incidents.
Poet Choi Young-mi is holding a press conference for the publication of the revised and expanded edition of "To the Pigs" on the afternoon of the 11th at a cafe in Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Regarding the situation at that time, she said, "I cannot even talk about the sexual harassment I suffered then," and added, "During the election season, we stayed together and worked 24 hours a day. Twenty people slept in one room, and hands entered my clothes in a very unpleasant way."
She also said, "There was serious sexual violence not only against me but within that organization," and added, "There were various kinds of people, including those from student backgrounds and workers. I saw everything and felt disgusted."
She said she consulted a "senior sister" about this sexual violence, but that "sister" told her, "If you want to continue the movement, you have to endure worse than this."
Choi also revealed that there was an incident when she had a drinking party with a professor who teaches literature at a university and took a taxi together, during which he "kept touching and groping" her.
Regarding the recent refusal of the Yi Sang Literary Award, Choi expressed, "I feel proud. Would that have been possible without the Me Too movement?" She added, "The literary world is really a hard place to break into, so it was very encouraging that female writers had the courage to raise the issue."
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