Kim Iryeop was born to a
Methodist pastor and his wife in a northern part of the
Korean Empire and became a
modern literary,
Buddhist and
feminist thinker and
activist. Having completed her primary education after the death of her parents, she moved to
Seoul to attend Ehwa Hakdang (1913–1915), which later became
Ewha Girls' High School. In 1915 she moved on to Ewha Hakdang (now
Ewha Womans University). She completed her education at Ewha in 1918 and married a professor of Yeonheui Junior College. In 1919, Iryeop went to
Japan to continue her studies and returned to Korea in 1920. Upon returning, she launched a journal,
New Woman (), which is credited to be the first women's journal in Korea that was published by women for the promotion of women's issues. Iryeop influenced the Korean literary society of her time by writing about activities that reflected trends in the women's liberation movement and this was her impetus for her founding
New Woman. Over the years, a great number of her critical essays, poems and short novels about women's liberation struggling against the oppressive traditions of the period of
Korea under Japanese rule were published in such Korean-language daily newspapers as
The Dong-a Ilbo and
The Chosun Ilbo, as well as in literary magazines including
Kaebyeok and
Chosun Mundan (Korea Literary World). Iryeop ordained as a
Buddhist nun in 1933 and moved into
Sudeoksa in 1935, where she lived until she died. == Works==