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Feminism; why is it demonised in South Korea?
South Korea is stunning, with a coveted popular culture like K-drama and K-pop. But, some people fixate on South Korea as a total utopia of their pop culture addictions without realising the country has social issues too — specifically with the unequal treatment of women in their society and the demonisation of feminist ideologies.
The topic of feminism in Korea has become more relevant as president-elect Yoon Seok-yeol won the elections last March 2022. Misogyny from Korean men in their 20s who identify as ‘victims of feminism’ had helped conservative Yoon Seok-yeol dominate the polls as he vowed to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality (여성가족부).
Feminism is an ideology disparaged in South Korea nowadays. To Korean men in their 20s, feminism is always synonymous with ‘man-hating’ and misandry. They think feminists are ‘lunatics’ and ‘crazy’. According to an analysis conducted in 2021 by The Blue Roof, a blog site centred on Korean politics stated, 58.6 per cent of the same population strongly opposed feminism. It was labelled ‘the most worrisome trend’ by the same blog. Consequentially, Korean feminists deal with facing online and offline harassment. In fact, anti-feminism protests are widespread in Korea. Obviously, you will ask yourself, ‘How could these all be?’.
For starters, the feminist movement had risen in South Korea after a 2016 murder incident in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district. The 35-year-old assailant stabbed a woman because he was ignored by them and felt humiliated. As the incident opened debates regarding gender equality issues, some Koreans think it is going too far.
Nathan Park hypothesised in an FP article that Korean men who harbour misogynistic views view women as a threat who receives preferential treatment. But a 2018 World Economic Forum report on gender equality shows that 58.6% of women out of 78.1% of men are active in the labour force. Furthermore, only 81.7% of women are enrolled in universities out of 104.7% men. Korea is ranked 115th out of 149 countries for gender equality in the report.
In the same light of ‘preferential treatment’, I can presume that military conscription of Korean men contributed to anti-feminism. For 64 years, Korean men had to fulfil a two-year mandatory military service before turning 30. A 2018 study by Ma Kyung-hee finds that 72 per cent of Korean men in their 20s think male-only conscription is a form of gender discrimination, and 65 per cent of the same demographic want women to be conscripted. The survey had 1,000 respondents from Korean men aged in their 20s.
Radical feminist websites such as the now shut-downed ‘Megalia’ and ‘WOMAD’ paved for a new form of feminism known as ‘troll feminism’ and have contributed to the [already] distorted and demonised reputation of feminism. Its derogatory logo symbolises the ‘average’ size of Korean penises, and most Korean men take offence.
Despite the growing anti-feminism sentiments of Korean men, several Korean women still experience harassment and gender-based discrimination, and the country’s women’s higher education attainment remains the lowest in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development).
K-pop idols are not exempted from discrimination and harassment. So-called male ‘fans’ of Red Velvet burned and mutilated group member Irene's photocards as they discovered she was reading a pro-feminist book at a 2018 fan sign event. Also, aespa’s KARINA allegedly experienced voyeuristic filming or molka in a magazine shoot last year.
몰카 (spycam pornography) remains a severe problem in public places throughout South Korea today. Reuters, an international news organisation, labelled the country as the ‘epicentre of spycams’. A 2021 Human Rights Watch report also criticised their government that struggles to address ‘molka’ alongside other women’s rights issues.
South Korea may be the fourth-largest economy in Asia and its popular culture, specifically its TV, film and music industries is well-sought. But the country is far from being a utopian nation — spycam pornography and discrimination against women are just one of a few issues the country is facing.
I wrote this article to burst the bubbles of those ‘fetishisers’ who fantasise about South Korea and think their boys, whom they call ‘oppa’ as perfect. At this point, I hope I was able to successfully able to wake your senses. South Korea is known for many amazing things, and unfortunately, your oppa is not one of them. Make this post your redemption arc and save yourself from disappointment in Korean men!
Writer’s notes:
1. Oppa: (in Korean-speaking contexts) a girl’s or woman’s elder brother: I want to be a good oppa to my little sister. • used as a polite form of address or term of endearment for a girl’s or woman’s elder brother, older male friend, or boyfriend: I missed you, oppa. In Southeast Asian contexts, oppa is an attractive Korean man. Source: Oxford Dictionary of English.
2. Data was retrieved from a Twitter thread of the publication’s original account. Original article is paid.
3. Statistics were accessed through a CNN article.
4. Molka is derived from the Korean words 모른다 (to not know) + 카메라 (camera).
It is a Korean term for a spy camera illegally installed, often to capture voyeuristic images.
References/참고문헌 (alphabetised):
Hines, S., & Song, J. (2021, August 3). How Feminism Became a Dirty Word in South Korea. The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/how-feminism-became-a-dirty-word-in-south-korea/
Kwon, J. (2019, September 24). South Korean men are fighting against feminism. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/21/asia/korea-angry-young-men-intl-hnk/index.html
Lih Yi, B. (2020, January 13). FEATURE -Untouched yet ruined: toll of S.Korea spycam epidemic. U.S. https://www.reuters.com/article/southkorea-women-rights-idINL8N28F19Y
Park, N. S. (2021, June 23). South Korean Young Men Swing Right Over Feminism. Foreign Policy. https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/06/23/young-south-korean-men-hate-liberals-feminists
Seo, Y. J., & Hollingsworth, J. (2022, March 9). How feminism became a hot topic in South Korea’s presidential election. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/08/asia/south-korea-election-young-people-intl-hnk-dst/index.html
The Blue Roof. (2022, March 6). The Rise of the Incels. https://www.blueroofpolitics.com/post/the-rise-of-the-incels
World Economic Forum. (2018, December). The Global Gender Gap Report 2018. https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-global-gender-gap-report-2018
