Kim Myeong-sun facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kim Myeong-sun
Native name	김명순
Born	(1896-01-20)20 January 1896 Pyongyang
Died	22 June 1951(1951-06-22) (aged 55)
Language	Korean
Nationality	Korean
Literary movement	Feminism
Notable works	Chilmyeonjo

Kim Myeong-sun (Korean: 김명순, Hanja: 金明淳) was an important Korean writer. She was a novelist and poet in the early 1900s. She was born on January 20, 1896, and passed away on June 22, 1951.

Life of Kim Myeong-sun

Kim Myeong-sun was born in Pyongyang in 1896. She used the pen names Tansil and Mangyangcho for her writing. In 1908, she started attending Chinmyeong Girls' School in Seoul. She was a very good student. However, she faced bullying because of her family background. She also experienced mistreatment from her step-mother's family. This led her to leave school in 1911.

In 1913, Kim traveled to Tokyo, Japan, to study at Kojimachi's Girls' School. She did not finish her studies there. Soon after, she returned to Korea. She earned her degree at Sungmyeon's Girls' School. In 1919, Kim joined a group called Creation. This was Korea's very first literary circle. It was started by Kim Dong-in and other Korean students in Tokyo.

Kim Myeong-sun also worked as a reporter for a short time. She wrote for the newspaper Maeil Shinmun. From 1927 to 1930, she worked in the film industry. Later in her life, Kim faced difficulties with money. She also experienced challenges with her health.

Kim Myeong-sun's Works

Kim Myeong-sun started her writing career in 1917. Her first story, a novella called Mysterious Girl, was published in a magazine. The magazine was named Youth (Sonyeon). It was edited by Choe Nam-seon.

In 1921, she began publishing her poetry. She became known for her deep understanding of people's feelings. Her novella Turkey (Chilmyeonjo), published in 1921, showed this talent. It appeared in the magazine Enlightenment (Gaebyeog). She continued to publish her writings until at least 1925.

Today, we don't know a lot about all her works. This is because scholars are still working to find her lost writings. They want to understand her important place among early Korean women writers.

Works in Translation

• A Girl of Mystery, found in Questioning Minds (University of Hawaii Press, 2009) ISBN: 978-0-824-83409-8
• Collected Works of the First Korean Female Writer Kim Myeong-sun [1] (BookLab, 2022) ISBN 979-11-6836-249-9 03810

Works in Korean (partial list)

• Dubious Girl (의문의 소녀), 1917
• Turkey (칠면조 七面鳥), 1921
• Lonely People (외로운 사람들), 1924
• When I Look Back (돌아다 볼 때), 1924
• Tansil and Juyeong (탄실이와 주영이), 1924
• Night of Burning (뭇는 날 밤), 1925
• The Vault of Heaven (창궁 蒼穹), 1925
• The Guest (손님), 1926
• I Love (나는 사랑한다), 1926
• Like a Stranger (모르는 사람갓치), 1929

See also

In Spanish: Kim Myeong-sun para niños

• Korean literature
• List of Korean-language poets
• List of Korean female writers