Invigorating debut . . . [a] full-throated rallying cry. —Publishers WeeklyOne of Ms.
Magazine's most-anticipated feminist books of 2023An eye-opening firsthand account of the
ongoing and trailblazing feminist movement in South Korea—one that the world should be
watching. Since the beginning of the #MeToo movement tens of thousands of people in South
Korea have taken to the street and many more brave individuals took a stand to end a
decades-long abortion ban and bring down powerful men accused of sexual misconduct—including a
popular presidential contender. South Korean feminists know that the revolution has been a long
time coming between battles against its own patriarchal society as well as challenging
stereotypes of docile Asian women in the Western imagination. Now author Hawon Jung will show
the rest of the world that these women are no delicate flowers—they are trailblazing flames.
Flowers of Fire takes the reader into the trenches of this fight for equality following along
as South Korean activists march on the streets navigate public and private spaces where spycam
porn crimes are rampant and share tips and tricks with each other as they learn how to protect
themselves from harassment and how to push authorities to act. Jung the former Seoul
correspondent for the AFP draws on her on-the-ground reporting and interviews with many women
who became activists and leaders from the elite prosecutor who ignited the country’s #MeToo
movement to the young women who led the war against non-consensual photography. Their stories
though long overlooked in the West mirror realities that women across the world are all too
familiar with: threats of defamation lawsuits to silence victims of assault tech-based sexual
abuse and criminal justice systems where victims’ voices are often met with suspicion and
abusers’ downfalls are met with sympathy. These are the issues at the heart of their #MeToo
movement and South Korean women have fought against them vigorously—and with extraordinary
success. In Flowers of Fire Jung illuminates the strength and tenacity of these women too
often sidelined in global conversations about feminism and gender equality.
