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“I eat vegetarian but wear leather jackets”: Novelist Do Gi-min embraces contradiction
🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

“I eat vegetarian but wear leather jackets”: Novelist Do Gi-min embraces contradiction

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Novelist Do Gi-min has practiced strict vegetarianism for four years while continuing to buy leather clothing and shoes.
  • Her new novel, “I Want to Kill Goni,” examines how humans consume and transform animals through shifting literary forms.
  • Do said she wanted to show that people who believe vegetarianism is right can still be deeply complicated in practice.

Novelist Do Gi-min describes herself as a contradiction: she has followed a strict vegetarian diet for four years, yet has bought leather jackets and shoes throughout the same period. The attraction, she said, came from the craftsmanship and appeal of leather goods.

“I Want to Kill Goni,” her new full-length novel, takes that contradiction further by examining the complicated relationship between humans and animals. The title character appears in different forms, including an animal whose nose is cut off, leather furniture and an animal pulling a carriage.

If you say vegetarianism is right, that is actually the end of the discussion. But I wanted to say that the humans who practice it are extremely complicated.

— Do Gi-minThe novelist explained the contradiction between her ethical view of vegetarianism and her continued use of leather goods.

The novel changes form as Goni’s role changes. It moves between a play and documentary-style narration, presenting the ways people consume animals from unfamiliar angles.

Do said the decisive moment behind her vegetarianism came during a holiday. She was carrying LA-style short ribs her parents had packed for her on a trip to Seoul when she suddenly no longer wanted to eat them.

I suddenly did not want to eat those LA short ribs.

— Do Gi-minShe recalled the moment during a holiday that led her to begin eating vegetarian.
About this summary

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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