Interview with Bokeum Jeon (b.1996) * Bokeum was born and raised in South Korea. She currently resides in Philadelphia, U.S.A.

Seung-a Han: Can you share your experience or stories about kimjang?

Bokeum Jeon: When I was living in Korea, my extended family on my mothers side would do kimjang at our separate houses afterwards we would swap boxes of kimchi so we all had one from each. At my house everyone was involved— males included. My father enjoyed making kimchi so he always participated. From what I know my uncles also participated, my family is passionate about food so we all were involved. My mom has a lot of sisters and their father, my grandfather, took on a lot of labor that traditionally a woman would do (such as folding laundry and braiding their hair), so I feel like my mom and her sisters had that as an expectation for their husbands. When my mom was living in the US, kimjang making was the same in that everyone in my family participated, we just didn’t have anyone to swap boxes with.

SH: Along with kimjang, what activities/jobs/labor that women take on (in South Korea) do you think are often overlooked?

BJ: I don’t know if it’s overlooked, but I feel like holiday food preparation always falls on women. Particularly grueling are the tasks that daughter-in-laws have to take on in the prep work.

SH: Speaking of expected gender roles in the kimjang kimchi making process, I am curious about your thoughts on today’s gender equality and roles in South Korea. Many people (in and out of South Korea) believe that sexism rarely exists anymore. However, there may be less everyday, blatant discrimination than before but systematically and legally so many things relating to women’s and children’s issues are still so outdated. For instance, sexual crimes (which the victims are overwhelmingly female) result in extremely short sentences and it is almost impossible for women to go back to the workforce after having children.

BJ: I think that culturally, there is a long way to go in terms of women’s rights in Korea. I feel like older generations are holding onto gender roles while younger generations are pushing for women to have equal opportunities. The younger generations are more aware and understanding of gender equality and how traditions can be harmful to that equality. I feel like there is a strong push for these movements and they are being talked about now more than ever.