This paper investigates how Bora Chung's short story, "Seeds", challenges traditional anthropocentric norms by utilizing the human body as a space for community-building between plants and humans. As an ecofeminist author, Chung's themes draw from the critical South Korean ecofeminist ideologies that suggest that plants and humans are connected by containing "life". By incorporating critical plant studies, ecofeminist studies, and Korean cultural studies, this paper analyzes the contexts by which "Seeds" is informed. "Seeds" is a satirical story that involves an immoral corporation and humans that have evolved into plant-human hybrids to escape environmental threats. The human-plant relationships found in "Seeds" are built upon respect, symbiosis, and care, but they are challenged by marginalization and commodification enacted by corporations and capitalist systems of oppression. By blending human and plant characteristics, Chung's hybrid characters confront environmental exploitation while healing human-plant relationships.

Authors:
Asha Rieussec, University of California, Irvine, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Asha Rieussec is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Irvine, in the United States. She studies Korean literature and culture with a focus on feminist & queer studies and critical plant studies.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/asharieussec/

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