Magazine publisher helps disabled writers chase dreams

Bang Gui-hee, the founder and publisher of the literary quarterly Sotdae Literature, poses in her office in Seoul on Nov. 17 after an interview. / Korea Times

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Bang Gui-hee's tireless work for the past quarter-century to discover talented disabled writers through the literary quarterly Sotdae Literature, named after Korean folklore for prosperity, has resulted in an unimaginable accomplishment.

The periodical has launched the careers of some 160 writers and has helped create a new literary genre — disabled people's literature — in the same vein as African-American and feminist literatures.

"Disabled writers' works are full of optimism and positive energy," Bang, the magazine's founder and publisher, told The Korea Times. "Some of these writers have a great sense of humor. Some are great at personifying objects. In his poem, Han Sang-sik, for example, portrays a radish and cabbage as a man and a woman, respectively. Many of them are observers, and their literary works are creative."

Sotdae is a tall pole with a carved duck on its top. It was established near the entrance of rural villages to signify the people's collective longing for the prosperity and success of their
community.

Bang, also disabled, cited the ability to think outside the box in interpreting relevant topics as another key characteristic of disabled writers, mentioning the work of a male poet whose name she did not remember.

"In his poem, the writer said he is jobless because of his disability but he is fine because he does not have stress from work," she said. "I think the way he looks at his disability is very positive."

Bang, 58, initiated the quarterly literary project in 1991 to give disabled people an opportunity to succeed. Because of polio, she is unable to use her legs and requires a wheelchair so she can move around; she knows how hard it is for disabled people to make their dreams come true.

Even decent jobs are a distant dream for many disabled people, partly because of the stereotypes about them and partly because of their lack of vocational skills, she said.

Her childhood dream was to be a professor. She had a stellar academic record and went on to obtain a master's degree in philosophy. Despite these achievements, however, she was rejected 10 times for doctoral degree programs. Finally, in 2010, after 27 years, she was accepted to the Ph.D. program in social service at Soongsil University in Seoul.

In between her academic stints, she also worked as a writer for several television and radio programs.

After earning her doctoral degree in 2013, she began working as a lecturer at several universities, including Soongsil Cyber University, while also serving as the publisher of Sotdae Literature.

Bang took many detours to make her dreams come true.

"I would have come this far much earlier if equal opportunities were given to disabled people like me," she said. "I am familiar with rejection because every school that I attended initially rejected me because of my physical disabilities."

The rejection and discrimination frustrated her. "The shortest way was there," she said. "It was near me. But I couldn't take it because I was denied it. In retrospect, the hardest moment in my life was when I realized that I was rejected, not because of my ability but because of my physical disabilities."

After overcoming plenty of hurdles, she is now fighting for disabled people's rights, focusing on helping them gain equal opportunities.

She came up with the idea of the quarterly literary project because she believes in the power of literature to change society.

"As you can see, the African-American and feminist literatures paved the way for their rights movements," she said. "I had a similar goal in mind when I initiated the campaign to discover writing talent among disabled people back in 1991."

Sotdae Literature is Korea's only periodical that exclusively publishes literary works by disabled writers. "Sotdae" refers to a tall pole with a carved duck on top that was established near the entrance of rural villages to signify the people's collective longing for the prosperity and success of their community.

Bang said she chose the word for the magazine's name because it reflects her hope of making it a vehicle for talented disabled writers. During the past 25 years, more than 400 disabled people have published their essays, poems and stories in the magazine. And as with many literary publications, those who published their writing in the magazine eventually went on to have successful careers.

Many disabled people are trapped in poverty because of difficulties in finding employment. About 2.8 million out of 48 million Koreans are registered as disabled. Experts say the actual figure could be much higher because, according to the WorldHealth Organization, disabled people usually account for nearly 10 to 15 percent of the population, depending on the country.

In November, Sotdae Literature released its 100th issue. At the same time, it was announced that the issue would be the last hard copy because of financial difficulties.

Bang said fundraising has become tougher in recent years because companies have cut their donations to external organizations to focus on their own social responsibility (CSR) efforts. An increasing number of companies are setting up their own charities and CSR programs.

"They have cut their donations to outside organizations to sponsor their own charities," she said. "Thus, organizations like Sotdae Literature that are heavily reliant on corporate donations have been suffering after the rise of CSR programs."

Even though she will stop publishing hard-copy editions, Bang said she will still accept works from disabled people for publication on the magazine's website.

Bang said despite the magazine's success, it has so far achieved only half its goal. While it became a launchpad for many talented disabled writers and became a pioneer in disabled people's literature, it was not able to raise as much awareness as it wanted about disabled people's plight.

"We failed to steer the Korean public's attention to disabled people and the harsh realities they deal with every day," Bang said. "We had no extra staff who would take care exclusively of the marketing and the public awareness campaign."

Jo Jung-rae, the author of best-selling novels, including "Taebaek Mountain Ridge" and "Arirang," said it is difficult for magazines to survive because the tough financial situations they must endure often take time away from the publishers' mission to find writing talent.

"It's tough for literary magazines to keep operating, even if they publish 100 issues, and even more so for a magazine for disabled writers," he said.

The star writer lauded Bang for her dedication to Sotdae Literature, calling the release of its 100th edition a miraculous accomplishment.

"In the face of many challenges during the past 25 years, Sotdae Literature has served as a guiding light to disabled people, who are isolated from mainstream society," he said. "It has been a pathfinder for the hopeless. The magazine has helped them discover their talent by encouraging them to express their ideas and thoughts."

Lee Dae-woo, a disabled poet who made his literary debut in the magazine, said he owed his success to Bang.

"The magazine did what my parents or siblings couldn't do," he said. He said he was able to gain confidence and hope after his poem was published in the magazine and he made his debut as a poet.

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