FEATURES OF THE FORMATION OF THE “NEW WOMAN” IMAGE IN KOREAN LITERATURE

Abstract

The role of women in society, their representation in literature, and the issues of inequality and oppression within the social sphere remain highly relevant today and require thorough research and in-depth analysis. This article focuses on the examination of key issues and selected works of contemporary Korean literature in which these themes are addressed. Particular attention is paid to the staged transformation of women’s roles in Korean society and literature. It is demonstrated that, under the influence of Western culture, the phenomenon of the “New Woman” began to emerge in South Korean society. This phenomenon fundamentally transformed the perception of women within Korean society as well as the representation of female figures in literature. As a result of these influences, women gained access to education and employment and began publishing literary works under their own names. The study also attempts to analyze the development of feminist literature in South Korea in connection with the spread of women’s rights movements. The theoretical analysis leads to the conclusion that there has been a significant transformation in the role of women in Korean society and in the use of female imagery in literature as a means of articulating pressing social issues, particularly the oppression and marginalization of women over centuries. The study reveals that the image of women has undergone substantial changes: from mythical and legendary figures lacking individual identity, to objects of male ownership, to “comfort women” during the period of Japanese occupation, and finally, in the twentieth century, to the emergence of resistance and the transformation into the “New Woman”—a figure unafraid of change, self-expression, and the pursuit of freedom. Furthermore, the impact of the formation of feminist literature and, more broadly, works authored by women on social consciousness and its development in the contemporary world is examined.