Her father, who abandoned the family early on, led a wandering existence in order to evade creditors, and her mother suffered from weak health.
Although Gong was accepted into university, she was ultimately forced to leave because she could not afford the tuition and made a living by working as a factory hand and long-distance express bus attendant.
Her husband is a survivor of the Gwangju uprising, a pro-democracy movement suppressed by the South Korean government in 1980.
Gong's debut work "Seeds of Fire" portrays the harrowing experience and resulting trauma of the men who had taken part in the Gwangju Democratization Movement.
In her work, Gong portrays the sorrow and loss of Gwangju citizens who have personally experienced these atrocities.