Has a Soldier Ever Wished to be an Angel
(군인이 천사가 되기를 바란 적 있는가 )
Soom Kim
2018
In her third literary exploration of the lives of Korean “comfort women,” Soom KimKim Soom presents a harrowing novel grounded in the firsthand testimonies of survivors Kil Won-ok and Kim Bok-dong. Told in the first person, the narrative immerses readers in the voice of an aging survivor who endured sexual slavery at the hands of the Japanese military during her youth. Rather than approaching her story as pure testimony, Kim crafts it as a visceral inner monologue, making it raw, fractured, and deeply personal, which allows her to capture both the long shadow of trauma and the quiet power of remembrance.
The novel confronts national shame, historical silence, and the bitter legacy of betrayal. It voices the pain of a woman whose youth was stolen and whose survival was neither victory nor justice. Kim’s storytelling draws a clear line between personal agony and social indifference, questioning a society that has too often ignored both the crimes of history and the dignity of its victims.
Korean translation of the summary:
작가 김숨의 세 번째 ‘위안부’ 문학 작업에서, 그녀는 생존자인 길원옥과 김복동의 실제 증언을 바탕으로 한 가슴 아픈 소설을 선보인다. 1인칭 시점으로 전개되는 이 이야기는, 어린 시절 일본 군대에 의해 성노예로 끌려간 한 생존자의 목소리를 통해 독자들을 깊이 끌어들인다. 김숨은 단순한 증언 형식이 아닌, 생생하고 파편화된 내면의 독백으로 서사를 구성하여, 그 고통의 그림자와 기억의 조용한 힘을 동시에 포착해낸다.
이 소설은 국가적 수치, 역사적 침묵, 그리고 배신의 쓰라린 유산과 정면으로 마주한다. 젊음을 빼앗기고, 살아남았으나 결코 승리도 정의도 아니었던 한 여성의 고통을 목소리로 담아낸다. 김숨의 서사는 개인의 고통과 사회의 무관심 사이의 뚜렷한 경계를 그리며, 역사적 범죄와 피해자의 존엄을 오랫동안 외면해온 사회를 날카롭게 되묻는다.
About the Author:
Soom Kim is a South Korean novelist acclaimed for her unflinching literary portrayals of historical trauma, particularly those involving marginalized voices in Korean history. She studied creative writing at the Seoul Institute of the Arts and began publishing fiction in the late 1990s. Her 2016 novel One Left was the first Korean novel to focus solely on the life of a former comfort woman, was based on extensive research and survivor testimonies, including those archived by the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance. Kim explores memory, silence, and the ethics of witness, cementing her reputation as a writer deeply committed to historical reckoning and literary compassion.