[The Typing Baker] The Voice of a Woman Who Stood Proud Before Power in an Era of Oppression

Passionate Sentences
From Sang-eon to Reader Submissions, Searching for Women's Voices

"A person who is particularly lacking in character, acts rashly and rudely, despises poor scholars, and looks down on others." This is a sharp criticism directed at someone. The following words are even more ruthless: "He is ignorant, narrow-minded, and blocked in thought, merely a burden on food." What should be done with this person who only wastes food? It is suggested to strip him of his official position and send him to the countryside for ten years to read only the writings of sages. In modern terms, this is a ‘targeted attack.’ Who is the one being targeted, and who is pulling the trigger? This writing was composed by ‘Chowol,’ a former gisaeng (female entertainer) in the late 19th century. The subject is her husband, Sim Heesoon, the grandson of Sim Sanggyu, who served as Uijeong (Right State Councillor). The fierce criticism from a gisaeng-turned-concubine toward her husband, a grandson of a high-ranking official, is not a mere personal complaint but a formal petition. Although it is from the late 19th century, the voice of a woman who was thought to have lived quietly under the rigid caste system and patriarchy of Joseon society breaks our preconceptions and stereotypes. The book Passionate Writings by Professor Kim Kyungmi of Ewha Womans University’s Ewha Institute for the Humanities is filled with writings by such women who stood boldly before power during the turbulent era from the late 17th century to the early 20th century.

Professor Kim, who majored in Korean classical literature, has long been interested in the lives of women in the Joseon era, especially their writings and the act of writing itself. This book, based on her research, reveals the frustrations, anger, aspirations, and insights of Joseon women. The texts covered range from ‘sangeon’ (petitions) submitted by women in the late Joseon period to reader contributions in newspapers during the modern enlightenment period. Sangeon was a system in Joseon where commoners could appeal to the king in writing to express grievances. Along with ‘gyeokjaeng,’ where people struck a gong to appeal to the king, it was a way for subjects to directly present their cases to the monarch. According to research investigating cases of sangeon and gyeokjaeng recorded in the Ilseongnok (Daily Records) from 1752 to 1910, out of a total of 4,427 cases, 405 were filed by women. Considering King Jeongjo’s 25-year reign, this averages to 16 female petitions per year, accounting for 10.4% of all sangeon and gyeokjaeng cases. Among these, petitions from commoner women were three times more frequent than those from yangban (aristocratic) women. The author highlights that women, whose lives and even names are unknown, wrote to address their life issues without shrinking back. This issue ultimately connects personal circumstances to societal problems.

Returning to Chowol’s petition, the writing that begins with the problems of her husband Sim Heesoon exposes deep-rooted corruption across politics, economy, and society. Chowol criticizes the court filled with thief-like officials and the practice of buying and selling government posts with money. She also addresses issues such as the grain loan system (hwangok), where grain was stored and lent to the people during famine to be repaid later, and taxation problems. This consciousness became clearer from the late 19th century as women learned about the world through newspapers as public forums and expressed their thoughts through reader contributions. One major theme is the importance of women’s education. In 1898, several members of the ‘Young Gentlewomen of Bukchon’ issued the ‘Open Letter on the Establishment of Girls’ Schools,’ advocating for the necessity of girls’ schools and women’s rights, urging women’s awakening with words like, "Is there really a difference in facial features and limbs between men and women? Why should women live like disabled beings, sitting idly on what men earn, confined to deep inner chambers, subjected only to others’ control?" This letter was published in the Hwangseong Newspaper’s special edition and the Independent Newspaper, and its initiators formed the first women’s organization, the ‘Chanyanghoe.’ In May 1906, a woman identified only as ‘Shin Nangja’ contributed an article to the Hwangseong Newspaper emphasizing the need for women’s education: "If there are schools but no girls’ schools, how can the foundation of education be understood?"

The author evaluates that these voices are not far from today’s feminism and help us view feminist movements in their historical context. The closing lines of Kim Songjae’s article published in the August 1, 1908 issue of the Daehan Maeil Sinbo read, "Is it not our duty as women to ensure that the Korean Empire becomes a civilized nation in the world, not leaving it solely to men?" Though written 100 years ago, these words remain meaningful today.

Passionate Writings | Written by Kim Kyungmi | Pureun History | 308 pages | 18,000 KRW