Kim Character Analysis in The Girl with Seven Names

Hyeonseo’s South Korean boyfriend. Hyeonseo first meets Kim in Shanghai, where he is on a business trip from Seoul, and they immediately begin spending time together. Hyeonseo and Kim date for several years, and Kim never once suspects that Hyeonseo is a North Korean defector. After she finally tells him, Kim supports Hyeonseo’s decision to seek political asylum in South Korea, and he later supports Hyeonseo’s decision to bring Mother and Min-ho to South Korea, too. Kim constantly worries that his parents won’t accept Hyeonseo because she is North Korean, and he often encourages her to go to the university and become a doctor or a lawyer so they will accept her. Not long after Mother and Min-ho make it to South Korea, Hyeonseo breaks off her relationship with Kim, claiming they don’t have a future. Kim agrees, and the two remain on friendly terms.

Kim Character Timeline in The Girl with Seven Names

The timeline below shows where the character Kim appears in The Girl with Seven Names. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Oppression, Human Rights, and North Korea Theme Icon

...a swanky sky-bar in the city. There, Hyeonseo meets a handsome South Korean man named Kim, who is visiting on business from Seoul. Hyeonseo and Kim begin dating, and he finds... (full context)

...Hyeonseo doesn’t tell her that she has fallen in love with a South Korean named Kim. Hyeonseo begins to look for a new broker who can help her get a South... (full context)

After two years, Hyeonseo tells Kim that she wants to go to South Korea. He tells her it is a bad... (full context)

Hyeonseo and Kim say goodbye at the airport, fearing that it will be too risky to travel together.... (full context)

...and she is given an allowance for snacks and a phone card. Hyeonseo immediately calls Kim, who is delighted to hear her voice. Next, she calls Ok-hee. Ok-hee arrived on a... (full context)

The next day, Kim flies in from Shanghai and takes Hyeonseo to the movies. All the signs are written... (full context)

Hyeonseo decides to enroll in a six-month course to become a tax accountant, but Kim suggests she apply to the university. Becoming a doctor or lawyer will impress his parents,... (full context)

...on accounting and finds a job at a law firm with a respectable salary, but Kim continues to encourage the university. Hyeonseo wonders if she has what it takes. Plus, by... (full context)

...that they have made it to Laos. Hyeonseo is relieved and decides to finally return Kim’s calls. She has been ignoring his texts all week. She tells Kim that she is... (full context)

...the next week bribing the officers with money and cigarettes, and then she must call Kim in Seoul and ask him to wire her more money. He agrees, and seven days... (full context)

The next day, Hyeonseo is relaxing on Kim’s couch in Seoul. It is the first week of December. She has been gone for... (full context)

...to Hanawon for three months. During this time, Hyeonseo decides to have a talk with Kim. She knows they don’t have a future now that her family will joining her. Kim... (full context)