15 Yi Kwangsu: Ten Commandments for New Women28

[ “Sin Yŏsŏng ŭi Sipkyemyŏng,” Man’guk Puin 1 (1932): 100 ]

  1. Pay attention to hygiene, nutrition and exercise, and live an orderly life to maintain your health.
  2. Study Korean history, language, literature, and society, and ponder the future of Korea.
  3. Firmly adhere to this advice: “Save your first love for your husband.”29
  4. Strictly guard against the temptations of luxury; make a budget in line with your income and expenses in order to practice frugality.
  5. For the sake of the national economy, buy Korean products.
  6. Stop being shy owing to the traditional “inside–outside” practice, but maintain dignity.
  7. Always strive to improve your own life and the lives of your family and your community.
  8. Read newspapers, magazines, and books.
  9. If you are unmarried, do your best to choose the right spouse. If you are married, do everything in your power to ease your husband’s mind.
  10. It is the sacred duty of a young woman to bring peace and bright light to her family wherever she is. Therefore, she must strive to develop the virtues of cheerfulness, benevolence, and humility and avoid the appearance of anger, criticism, jealousy, or conflict.

  1. The main target readers for Man’guk puin were girl students and “new housewives” (sin puin).↩︎

  2. “First love” is a literal translation, but it is likely to refer to virginity.↩︎