Kim Ji-young is a mother of three children. For a long time since getting married, she had been focusing only on the roles of a wife and a mother, and suddenly she thought, "Just as children have vacations, we mothers should have vacations, too." So she d a cultural community called ‘Moms’ Vacation’. Mothers gather together to read books and write, sharing common interests and comforting each other.

Q. What was the main reason to make ‘Moms’ Vacation’?

A. Three years ago, I happened to learn about the Culture Maker Academy held at Wanju Cultural City Support Center. I wondered, 'What is that?' and 'What does it mean to solve local problems with culture?' When I went to the first meeting, most of them were young people, and I felt shy because I was the only one who was a "ma'am." However, the head of the center gave a special lecture and said, "Cultural planners should themselves know what they like." That's when I realized I didn't know what I had liked until then!

The courses of ‘Culture Maker Academy’ were difficult, but it was fun. That's why I never skipped a class. Sometimes I was scolded by my mother for continuing to leave the house without taking care of the children. However, I was so excited and happy to meet people who asked questions about me for the first time, not about my hubby and children. In fact, I have a bold personality. I don't accept anything as it is, and I tend to face and solve all struggles by myself. Right at that moment, I heard that there was a community support program at the Cultural City Support Center, so I formed a meeting without hesitation.

Q. What is the meaning of the title ‘Moms’ Vacation’?

A. It doesn’t mean anything other than what it is. I just thought ‘Like children, moms would be happy if they had a vacation. Time for their own selves. Time for taking a rest and recharging their batteries.

If there were any others who thought like me, I desperately wanted to meet and talk with them. At first, four of us met and started to read books. The number of members increased. Now we have 20; 10 from Wanju, and 10 from other regions. At our book club, we never read books such as parenting or self-development books, as for no reason, you only feel uncomfortable thinking "Am I not a good mother?", or "Am I a lazy person?"

Q. What other activities do you do other than reading books?

A. We operated a ‘Sister Counseling Center’ as well. It was a meeting where we exchanged common issues and comforted each other while revealing our concerns. Everyone said it was their first time to talk about themselves like this. Many of them cried while talking. Two years ago, we had writing meetings and published a collection of prose titled Your One and Only Story in the World by tying up the essays of each member. It was also helped by the Cultural City Support Center.

One of the book club members opened a stationery store, and inside the store, we made a book stand like a kind of "shop within a shop." The name was ‘Moms’ Bookstore.‘ Each of the book club friends got a book shelf, and each person picked out the books they wanted to introduce, displayed them, and sold them.

Q. I heard that you set up a shared studio for moms not too long ago.

A. Yes, I really did it unexpectedly. Mothers don't have their own desks anywhere. So you have to sit at the kitchen table, write, go to a cafe, and read books. So I wanted to a space where mothers could sit comfortably, and read and write books.

By the way, in March this year, the insurance company called me to inform me that my savings insurance had matured. It was 10 million won, so I thought about what I could do with this money. Since the children grew up, I thought about replacing the furniture in the children's room, but I was in two minds because I also wanted to use it for myself. There was a vacant rental apartment in a building overlooking the Mangyeong-gang, my dream location. In addition, I heard that the deposit loan would be at a low interest rate, so I thought about it for a while and signed the contract.

I decorated it as a space for mothers to work together. I bought several individual desks, made my own small room, and even got some books including comic books and picture books. The name was a studio, but I wanted to a place where I could look at the Mangyeong-gang River blankly, pile up comic books and roll around and read them, and do whatever I want to do. The space was named ‘Dinggadingga.’ I wished we could relax there as comfortably as possible, as if we were on a vacation in a comfortable atmosphere, without any burdens.