More diverse feminism books published
Third issue of independent feminism magazine "Sonyeomunhak" / Courtesy of Sonyeomunhak
Bell Hook's "Feminism Is for Everybody"
Lee Min-kyung's "We Need Language"
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Despite the recession in the publishing industry, the topic of feminism has become a good seller in Korean bookstores, reflecting increasing interest in women's rights.
According to Aladin, a major online bookstore in Korea, sales of the books categorized in women's studies and gender jumped 178 percent in the first half of 2016, compared to the same period the previous year.
The number of feminism titles also increased from 73 in 2015 to 114 in 2016.
Classic feminism books such as "The Second Sex" by Simone de Beauvoir and "Egalia's Daughters: A Satire of the Sexes" by Gerd Brantenberg were rediscovered.
A Korean translation of Bell Hook's "Feminism Is for Everybody" was voted in an Aladin survey as the issue of the year in 2016.
Two other books ― Roxane Gay's "Bad Feminist" and Lee Min-kyung's "We Need Language" ― also made the top 10 books of the year.
Hallym University sociology professor Shin Kyung-ah said women these days read feminism books to understand their lives.
"Working women in their 20s and 30s receive higher education and think they have to work in this society,” Shin said. “However, sexual discrimination is still rampant in social structures and their gender equality values are questioned in real life. They seek to challenge such circumstances through feminism.”
Indie magazines raise money through crowd funding
Along with the rise of feminism books, independent publishers are producing magazines centering on various aspects of feminist issues.
Korea's best-known feminism magazine would be "if," a quarterly published from 1997 to 2006. The "if" magazine was run in a traditional way, funded by subscriptions and advertising revenue.
However, the second generation of feminism magazines found other ways to get finance. Mostly published by small independent companies or individuals, the magazines seek money through crowd funding.
"Sonyeomunhak," a non-periodic independent magazine focusing on feminism and queer issues, sought funding through Tumblbug, a Korean crowd-funding platform.
The publisher stated that the magazine was looking for an alternative distribution structure available with the minimum amount of capital. Instead of printing the magazine in advance and selling it through independent bookstores, the magazine takes payment in advance and publishes the number of copies ordered to reduce inventory.
The magazine protests against the traditional literary system dominated by males and welcomes poems, novels, essays and photos on themes such as secrets and loathing. The third edition titled "Festival" is on the way.
Each magazine has different characteristics.
"Small Letter F" is another independent feminism magazine, established in 2016. The magazine deals with feminism mainly through visual art. As well as being a magazine, it aims to become a cultural platform on feminism and other issues, and will host a feminism festival FEMEET 2017 in May.
"Movie Feminism," which is preparing for its inaugural edition, analyzes female characters in films such as "Bedevilled" (2010) and "Alice in Earnestland" (2015).