SPECIAL NOTE: Bora Chung and Her World of Solidarity

정보라 작가. ⓒHyeYoung. /한경DB

KCCNYC Monthly Book Club June 2025

Your Utopia by Bora Chung, and Author’s Talk

June 5, 2025 | RSVP Here

Bora Chung is an author, translator, and an activist. She is most well known for her book Cursed Bunny, which was nominated for the 2022 International Booker Prize. Her new addition to the short story collection is Your Utopia, which made it to the final rounds of the Philip K. Dick Award.

Chung brings the elements of her life into her stories, whether it is one of her horror short stories in Cursed Bunny or one of her Sci-Fi stories in Your Utopia.

It is quite clear that her language comes from her social activist nature. Her stories are her resistance against what we take for granted, a question for the Korean society to hear and answer.

Chung appeared at the Phillip K. Dick award ceremony decorated with a colorful rainbow around her neck. She read a passage from her short story “To Meet Her,” which is a part of Your Utopia. Chung paid her tribute to Byun Hui- Su, the first transgender soldier in Korea, who was forced to discharge, which led her taking her own life.

As one article about her said, Bora Chung’s works show us “what sci-fi with its fists raised looks like.”

Your Utopia | Honford Star

Chung published her collection of personal essays, <아무튼, 데모> Anyway, it is Demonstration, which is about her experiences participating in different demonstrations, allying with the LGBTQA+ community, labor Unions, disability community, and the families of Sewol Ferry accident. Unfortunately, the book did not get translated into English for wider readership. However, it is, in fact, my favorite book of hers. 

In the last part of the book, Chung talks about her own Utopia. She states that she believes her idea of Utopia comes closest to what is called “Liberal-Humanitarian Utopia”, which is  among the categories of Utopia that German Social Scientist Karl Mannheim defined.

Chung then elaborates that the believers of Liberal-Humanitarian Utopia fight on for their social dogma, despite their understanding that what they are fighting for may not be accomplished while they are alive.   They fight for their own utopia while fully acknowledging that changes may come very slowly, and that the Utopia may never come while they are living, but they believe the fight needs to continue because they believe that a better world will come in the end.

Chung’s works embody social struggle and resistance against society and injustice faced by social minorities in Korea. She will be using her words as art of protest, and will be at the scenes of protests to fulfill her own Utopia.

Eun Byoul Oh and Bora Chung in Seoul, June 2024 | Photo by Crystal Arnette

I vividly remember how excited Bora Chung was when I met her in Seoul to work on the hybrid film Keurida. She was quite elated to talk about her protest work. I remember the badges of solidarity on the tote bag she carried with her.

In the month of June, we are very honored to have Bora Chung as a guest to KCCNYC monthly book club. We look forward to hearing about her book Your Utopia as KCCNYC celebrates Pride Month. We hope the book club can be a space where we can share her world view, and her work as a social activist in Korea.

I once again welcome Bora Chung to KCCNYC, and I want to greet her with the greeting of solidarity in Korea. 투쟁!