The bestselling feminist novel "Kim Ji-young, Born 1982" by Cho Nam-joo has been published in 17 countries. From top left clockwise are the book's covers from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Hungary, Thailand, China and Spain. (Minumsa)

The heated interest in the novel has now gone global. Since sexism affects societies around the world, the story has struck a chord in countries far and wide.

The publishing rights for the book have been sold to 17 countries including not only those in Asia like Japan, China, Taiwan and Vietnam, but also from the West like the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Spain and Russia. The film rights have been sold to 37 countries. 

Readers in Japan have especially proven responsive to Cho's work. After being translated into Japanese and published in Japan in February last year, "Kim Ji-young" sold more than 50,000 copies in the first month in becoming the fastest Korean novel to become a bestseller in Japan. 

The novel is also a hot topic among Japanese media. In addition to coverage by the network NHK, the book has received extensive interest from major newspapers like The Asahi Shimbun and The Sankei Shimbun. Critics have praised the novel, saying it has helped bring issues like women's career breaks due to child care and sexual discrimination into the public conversation for the first time. 

The Chinese-language edition, published in September this year, rose to the top of the fiction bestseller list on China's most popular online bookseller Dang Dang. In Taiwan, the book's first edition sold out in the first two weeks after its release in May last year, and reprinting began immediately. The book was also No. 1 on Readmoo, the island country's leading e-book website.

In the U.K., a number of publishers competed to secure the publishing rights to "Kim Ji-young."

"The typical roles of exporter and importer were reversed in this case, with publishers sending us long letters on how much they valued the work and why it was important to them that the book get published in the U.K.," said Park Hye Jin, a literary critic and editor at Minumsa, the book's publisher in Korea.

"Cases can differ by country, but the gender-based discrimination women face including career breaks and marginalization is a universal topic that transcends borders. The novel addresses these issues with a lot of clarity, and this is why readers from various cultures, societies, religions and historical backgrounds have responded so positively to its message."

The English-language edition of "Kim Ji-young" will hit shelves in both the U.S. and the U.K. in February next year.