This book was adapted into a film starring Jung Yu-mi and Gong Yoo in 2019. It was also longlisted for the US National Book Award for Translated Literature in 2020.
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 contains examples of:
- Familial Bodysnatcher: Jiyoung is possessed by her mother at the start of the book.
- Family Versus Career: Appears frequently, since the book's main theme is sexism.
- Jiyoung's mother wanted to be a teacher, but she had to quit school to go work at a factory to support her brothers' schooling.
- Invoked by Jiyoung's mother when she persuades Jiyoung's sister to go to university to become an elementary school teacher. Jiyoung's mother says that being a teacher is a good career for women because it is easy to care for a child while working as a teacher.
- Jiyoung quits her job when she has her child, as she can not find someone who can look after her child.
- Jiyoung's psychiatrist says that his wife gave up on becoming a professor, and eventually quit working altogether to care for her child. She seems bored, as she started studying elementary school-level math as a hobby.
- The counselor at Jiyoung's psychiatrist's office quits her job as she became pregnant.
- Footnote Fever: The book has a lot of footnotes, relating to statistics, news articles, and other sources for its descriptions of the social context of Jiyoung's life.
- Framing Device: The story is in the form of notes written by Jiyoung's psychiatrist.
- Housewife: Jiyoung eventually becomes a housewife in keeping with the gender roles she was exposed to.
- Hypocrite: At the book's ending, Jiyoung's psychiatrist thinks that his wife and Jiyoung could do something fulfilling. Right after that, he says that he will not hire married female employees.
- Loving Bully: Invoked. When Jiyoung is in elementary school, the boy who sits next to her bullies her. Her teacher tells her it is because he likes her.
- Parental Favoritism: Jiyoung's parents and relatives prefer her little brother over Jiyoung and her sister, because he is a son.
- Stay in the Kitchen: Appears frequently, as the book is about sexism.
- When Jiyoung was in a hiking club in college, the female members were not allowed to become club president.
- The professors at Jiyoung's colleges would not recommend female students to employers.
- Jiyoung's boss does not think the female employees will stay at the company in the long run, as he thought they should quit their jobs once they have children.
- Wanted a Son Instead: Jiyoung's mother aborts Jiyoung's little sister because of her gender.
