Aunt Sang-hee Character Analysis in The Girl with Seven Names

Uncle Jung-gil’s wife. Like Uncle Jung-gil, Aunt Sang-hee welcomes Hyeonseo with opens arms after she defects from North Korea and comes to Shenyang, China. Sang-hee is kind, and she helps Hyeonseo adjust to living in China. She introduces Hyeonseo to Geun-soo, whose mother, Mrs. Jang, Sang-hee knows from her Korean-Chinese social circle. Sang-hee is upset when Hyeonseo runs away and refuses to marry Geun-soo, but she soon forgives her, and even lends her ID card to Hyeonseo for Mother to use after she defects from North Korea at the end of the book. Aunt Sang-hee reflects the importance of family in Korean culture. She hasn’t seen Hyeonseo or her parents in years, but she opens up her home to Hyeonseo anyway, even though she risks being punished for helping a North Korean defector.

Aunt Sang-hee Quotes in The Girl with Seven Names

The The Girl with Seven Names quotes below are all either spoken by Aunt Sang-hee or refer to Aunt Sang-hee . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Oppression, Human Rights, and North Korea Theme Icon

My uncle and aunt made me feel instantly welcome. I was family - it made no difference to them that they had not seen me in years.

Related Characters: Hyeonseo Lee (speaker), Uncle Jung-gil, Aunt Sang-hee

Page Number and Citation: 106

Explanation and Analysis:

Aunt Sang-hee Character Timeline in The Girl with Seven Names

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

Hyeonseo knocks on the door to the apartment, and Uncle Jung-gil and Aunt Sang-hee appear with huge smiles. Uncle Jung-gil is actually Father’s cousin who defected during the Korean... (full context)

...a karaoke bar, where Hyeonseo sings “Rocky Island” and no one cares. After five days, Aunt Sang-hee convinces Hyeonseo to stay longer, but by her 18th birthday, Hyeonseo knows she must return... (full context)

...Suddenly, Hyeonseo realizes that she may never be able to go home to North Korea. Aunt Sang-hee happily agrees to allow Hyeonseo live with her and Uncle Jung-gil long-term, and Hyeonseo accepts;... (full context)

...more homesick and feels trapped in a foreign land without an identity. Uncle Jung-gil and Aunt Sang-hee are kind and accommodating, but China isn’t home, and Hyeonseo grows increasingly unhappy and depressed.... (full context)

...but his number is disconnected. Her link to Hyesan is gone, and Hyeonseo is devastated. Aunt Sang-hee tries desperately to cheer Hyeonseo up, and one day, she comes to Hyeonseo’s bedroom and... (full context)

Geun-soo is the son of Mrs. Jang, one of Aunt Sang-hee ’s friends from her Korean-Chinese social circle. Aunt Sang-hee suggests Geun-soo and Hyeonseo go out... (full context)

...of 2000, with the wedding just weeks away, Hyeonseo walks out of Uncle Jung-gil and Aunt Sang-hee ’s apartment complex, dropping the chip from her new cellphone into a nearby trash can. (full context)

...She thinks about going to Xita, a place she has been many times before with Aunt Sang-hee , where many Koreans live and work. A nice middle-aged woman approaches and asks Hyeonseo... (full context)

...introduces himself as her interrogator. He asks her about her parents, and she gives him Aunt Sang-hee and Uncle Jung-gil’s information. The inspector hands her a copy of a Chinese newspaper and... (full context)

Hyeonseo feels her stomach flutter with nerves as she rings the bell to Aunt Sang-hee and Uncle Jung-gil’s door. Aunt Sang-hee answers and is genuinely happy to see Hyeonseo. Hyeonseo... (full context)

Aunt Sang-hee agrees to let Hyeonseo borrow her ID card. It is Semptember 2009, and by the... (full context)

Using Aunt Sang-hee ’s ID and the ID belonging to Min-ho’s business contact, Hyeonseo buys three tickets for... (full context)

Aunt Sang-hee wants Hyeonseo to bring Mother and Min-ho to Shenyang, but there is no time. Their... (full context)

Aunt Sang-hee Character Analysis

Aunt Sang-hee Quotes in The Girl with Seven Names

Chapter 20 Quotes

Aunt Sang-hee Character Timeline in The Girl with Seven Names