THOSE WHO label themselves as feminists are almost always met with gasps of surprise and scoffs of disgust in South Korea. What started as a movement for gender equality has become adulterated with malevolent stigmatization and politicization; this shift seems to stem from the Korean feminist movement adopting a brazenly radical, misandrist narrative over time.

What does feminism look like in South Korea?

   Merriam Webster defines feminism as “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities[1].” The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary also defines a feminist as “a person who supports the belief that women should have the same rights and opportunities as men[2]”—feminism boils down to supporting different genders' political, economic, and social equality.

   Unlike its denotation, however, Korean feminism is riddled with extreme yet unnecessary gender conflict. Early Korean feminist movements strived to better women’s places in society and instigate reforms. In the 1980s, prominent women’s rights organizations spoke out against rape, domestic abuse, and sex trafficking on a national level[3]. In the 2000s, the Hoju family register system that sets the male as the default “head of the family” was abolished[4]. Despite such progress, the recent development of online communities and several key incidents pushed feminism in Korea beyond simple discussions for equality.

   Issues unique to South Korea, such as the widespread installation of spy cameras in women’s restrooms, mandatory military service exclusive to men, or gender-based hate crimes like the 2016 Gangnam station incident, mounted juxtaposing concerns for Korean men and women. Scholars noticed the South Korean society experiencing a “feminism reboot,” where the discussion around gender equality gained remarkable traction[5]. Heavily based on digital venues and social media, the feminist movement increasingly adopted a radical narrative that viewed all women as potential victims and all men as potential perpetrators[6]. Websites such as Megalia and Womad became hotbeds for controversial discussions[7]; members regularly published provocative, misandrist content expressing extreme hatred towards men, some members going as far as posting that they have aborted their male babies and outed gay men[8]. The inflammatory discussion bled into the political arena as well, where right-wing politicians openly expressed their hostility against Korean feminism and denied the existence of gender inequality[9].

The limitations of the Korean feminist movement

   The problem of the Korean feminist movement’s “man-hating” lens is its automatic exclusion of men, especially those in their 20s who grew up watching the movement unfold. Since the narrative is so focused on vilifying males, it is naturally difficult for men, and even women who disagree with such radical ideas, to resonate with the movement. As a result, anti-feminist sentiments are fostered and thoroughly reflected in surveys and elections—a whopping 72.5% of male voters in their 20s voted conservative in the 2020 Seoul mayoral election, and over 70% stated they “strongly opposed feminism[10].”

   Despite what such results might portray, young Korean men are not necessarily more misogynistic than other age demographics; in fact, studies report that a significantly higher percentage of Korean men in their 20s responded negatively to conventionally misogynistic statements such as “the male is the head of the family,” “males ought not to be expressive of their emotions,” compared to respondents in their 30s, 40s, and 50s[11]. Reflected by anti-feminist sentiments incurred from the cultivation of radical narratives, Korea’s pursuit of gender equality is obscured into a man vs. woman dogfight. Such gratuitous and misdirected name-calling induces myopia; even those who would otherwise opt into the movement for gender equality are steered away. Right-wing politicians making anti-feminist tweets gain significantly more media coverage than incidents of patriarchal struggles, such as transgender women being disproportionately exposed to hate crimes and discrimination. Ultimately, the consequence of a social movement adulterated with hatred and misandry seems to be everything but the dictionary definition of feminism.

[1] Merriam Webster

[2] Oxford Learner’s Dictionary

[3] Kyunghyang Shinmun

[4] Kyunghyang Shinmun

[5] Journal of Asian Sociology

[6] BBC

[7] CNN

[8] Korea Times

[9] Foreign Policy

[10] Foreign Policy

[11] Korea Citation Index