[K-people] Gong Ji-young finds happiness in lonesomeness
by Jung Kyoo-deuk and Kim Ji-sun
"When I wake up in the morning, I wonder if it's okay for me to be this happy, if it's okay for me to enjoy solitude. After a good night sleep, I become even happier, therefore I wonder whether I will die at the peak of my happiness.” Addressed author Gong Ji-young.
South Korean author Gong Ji-young (60), whom participated in an interview at her residence in Pyeongsa-ri, located within South of Gyeongsang province on January 15, stated, “After a long and careful I thought regarding the reason for my happiness, it all comes down to my 'solitude.' Nature managed to comforted the wounds inflicted by other people."
From the entrance of the author’s house located on top of a hill overlooking the Seomjin River, Gong Ji-young’s pet dog 'Dongbaek,' who has been rescued from severe abuse greeted the reporters warmly.
When Gong Ji-young was picking "Dongbaek" during her travels she has discovered The, located on the hills which overlooks the Seomjin River. At first I went back and forward between Seoul and Hadong a lot, however as covid 19 stuck the whole world, I decided to settle down in Hadong.
Author Gong said, "I thought to myself that I was being criticized so often and much because my name was known to the world. I thought no one would bother me if I hid from everyone and just stayed here.” Author recalled a time when she was sued and reported by her close ones, the one who she left no evidence because they were her closest people.”
As a professional author, the act of writing became 'hellish' during the stage of 'burnout.'
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| ▲This photo shows Author Gong Ji-young with her loving dog 'Dongbaek.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
Author Gong devoted herself to cultivating crops on her roughly about 16,500 square feet land, tending her garden and vegetable patch provided her with pleasure of farming. Despite of her effort, author Gong failed at harvesting sweet potatoes, however she managed to harvest vast amount of cucumbers.
Nowadays Gong Ji-young falls asleep before 10 p.m., and naturally wakes up when the dawn breaks even without an alarm. Going to enjoy fresh fish from the nearby Noryang coast or driving through Georisan Mountain with cup of coffee has become a daily routine here.
After returning from her trip to the Middle East, Gong, who was under hiatus, decided to pick up her pen once again. Author’s journey is vividly portrayed within her latest book, "You Will Be Lonely Again."
Gong Ji-young reflects on the past three years as her time by stating "trapping myself inside and being alone for the first time since birth led me to contemplating how to live in the last years of my life." To the author, a self-imposed 'exile,' was much like the pioneers who threw themselves into the wilderness and desert.
Through this process, author addressed, “even the fear of dying alone has disappeared.” adding her Insomnia, which kept her awake at night also disappeared at some point.
Pyeongsa-ri, is the where South Korean novel “Toji” also known as “The Ground” by Park Kyung-ni takes place and she considers the location as a “sanctuary for literature” since his girlhood.
Gong addressed, “At first I didn’t plan on living at my favorite location, however, spending my time at such old age in a place which inspired me to become has led me to believe that everything is not coincidental."
Gong Ji-young who never schedules a meeting in Seoul because she doesn’t enjoy driving long distances visit’s Seoul once a month because she periodically visits death row inmates in Seoul prisons. This has been an ongoing task for over 20 years since she published her novel 'Our Happy Time' in 2005.
For the questions regarding the death penalty, Gong states, "I understand the sentimental aspect of supporting the execution of death row inmates, however prohibiting physical punishment is the course of human development we need to take.” Gong Ji-young’s experience in meeting death row inmates and seeing cases of understanding their wrongful behavior and following a rightful path had made significant impact on how she thinks about such subject matter.
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| ▲This photo shows, author Gong Ji-young signing her latest book. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap) |
On the recently passed law prohibiting the consumption of dog meat, author expressed her opinion by saying, "There are plenty of protein sources available, therefore, I wonder if it's necessary for us to consume dogs." adding, "I'm not a vegetarian, but I try to eat only meat that has been certified with animal welfare."
Considered as a “pioneer of K-literature,” Gong realizes the changed status of Korea whenever whenever she goes abroad. While she appreciates the positive evaluation regarding Korean literature due to high-quality translations, she is also concerned about the declining literacy of domestic readers.
Gong Ji-young picked author Kim Hoon, as her favorite author and whom she respects the most.
As a mother who raised three children while writing her novels, she wasn’t able to spend enough time with them. The absence of mother figure led the author to worry about teaching her children rightful discipline and fear about their bad habits solidifying within their lives. Gong addressed smiling, "I may not have been a 'good mother,' but I firmly believe I will be able to become a 'good grandmother' later in life.”
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(**This article is a word-to-word translation from an original Yonhap article written in Korean.)
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