Zürcher Nachrichten - Short cut to feminism: How an assault changed Korean woman's outlook

EUR -
AED 3.862042
AFN 71.804229
ALL 98.797466
AMD 410.848078
ANG 1.899611
AOA 958.940084
ARS 1058.238507
AUD 1.620225
AWG 1.892645
AZN 1.789395
BAM 1.967098
BBD 2.128123
BDT 125.953443
BGN 1.956332
BHD 0.396362
BIF 3113.654377
BMD 1.051469
BND 1.420345
BOB 7.309987
BRL 6.106303
BSD 1.054054
BTN 88.858242
BWP 14.398702
BYN 3.449312
BYR 20608.799376
BZD 2.124603
CAD 1.482114
CDF 3017.717361
CHF 0.931823
CLF 0.037163
CLP 1025.434617
CNY 7.631781
CNH 7.633625
COP 4610.430258
CRC 537.123794
CUC 1.051469
CUP 27.863938
CVE 110.899869
CZK 25.280471
DJF 187.688029
DKK 7.458945
DOP 63.517579
DZD 140.586407
EGP 52.170119
ERN 15.77204
ETB 131.427132
FJD 2.391409
FKP 0.829943
GBP 0.835835
GEL 2.870265
GGP 0.829943
GHS 16.600348
GIP 0.829943
GMD 74.654183
GNF 9083.084398
GTQ 8.138513
GYD 220.516588
HKD 8.183129
HNL 26.634729
HRK 7.500403
HTG 138.343291
HUF 410.963645
IDR 16706.744023
ILS 3.829478
IMP 0.829943
INR 88.660528
IQD 1380.730543
IRR 44253.716178
ISK 145.081723
JEP 0.829943
JMD 167.279216
JOD 0.745807
JPY 161.530937
KES 136.168674
KGS 91.27086
KHR 4230.257223
KMF 493.08668
KPW 946.322022
KRW 1469.239507
KWD 0.323541
KYD 0.878345
KZT 526.313
LAK 23147.955604
LBP 94386.027846
LKR 306.711669
LRD 189.714255
LSL 19.056857
LTL 3.104715
LVL 0.636023
LYD 5.15863
MAD 10.589624
MDL 19.267668
MGA 4925.289533
MKD 61.559552
MMK 3415.131453
MNT 3572.892815
MOP 8.446615
MRU 41.912953
MUR 49.755948
MVR 16.245234
MWK 1827.697802
MXN 21.562203
MYR 4.686928
MZN 67.1904
NAD 19.056857
NGN 1769.759472
NIO 38.782387
NOK 11.685421
NPR 142.17627
NZD 1.797046
OMR 0.404805
PAB 1.054054
PEN 3.992029
PGK 4.245903
PHP 62.029854
PKR 292.749574
PLN 4.308154
PYG 8212.168477
QAR 3.845012
RON 4.976502
RSD 117.004332
RUB 110.908439
RWF 1439.152416
SAR 3.949844
SBD 8.822449
SCR 14.320848
SDG 632.459485
SEK 11.526107
SGD 1.415456
SHP 0.829943
SLE 23.868157
SLL 22048.791639
SOS 602.35403
SRD 37.320818
STD 21763.29276
SVC 9.222974
SYP 2641.848152
SZL 19.051426
THB 36.453918
TJS 11.235312
TMT 3.690657
TND 3.343207
TOP 2.462647
TRY 36.425338
TTD 7.15912
TWD 34.112826
TZS 2781.137122
UAH 43.741741
UGX 3905.431745
USD 1.051469
UYU 44.926765
UZS 13521.66479
VES 48.905782
VND 26723.093681
VUV 124.832555
WST 2.935272
XAF 659.740094
XAG 0.034439
XAU 0.0004
XCD 2.841648
XDR 0.806231
XOF 659.746405
XPF 119.331742
YER 262.78845
ZAR 19.031706
ZMK 9464.475804
ZMW 29.063935
ZWL 338.572704
  • CMSC

    -0.0300

    24.7

    -0.12%

  • SCS

    -0.0500

    13.67

    -0.37%

  • RYCEF

    0.0200

    6.79

    +0.29%

  • BCC

    -1.9350

    150.565

    -1.29%

  • RBGPF

    0.8100

    61

    +1.33%

  • RIO

    -0.6950

    62.285

    -1.12%

  • BTI

    0.2900

    37.62

    +0.77%

  • VOD

    0.0500

    8.96

    +0.56%

  • GSK

    -0.0400

    34.11

    -0.12%

  • BCE

    -0.1440

    26.876

    -0.54%

  • JRI

    -0.0350

    13.335

    -0.26%

  • CMSD

    -0.0300

    24.55

    -0.12%

  • AZN

    -0.2100

    66.19

    -0.32%

  • BP

    -0.1650

    29.155

    -0.57%

  • NGG

    -0.3100

    62.95

    -0.49%

  • RELX

    0.2900

    46.86

    +0.62%

Short cut to feminism: How an assault changed Korean woman's outlook
Short cut to feminism: How an assault changed Korean woman's outlook / Photo: Jung Yeon-je - AFP

Short cut to feminism: How an assault changed Korean woman's outlook

Aspiring South Korean writer On Ji-goo never considered herself a feminist but changed her mind after being physically attacked by a man for having short hair.

Text size:

"I know you are a feminist," her attacker yelled as he beat her up at the convenience store where she worked part time.

Her assailant, in his 20s, also severely assaulted an older man who tried to intervene, telling him: "Why aren't you supporting a fellow man?"

On was left with hearing loss and severe trauma but insisted on pressing charges -- resulting in a landmark ruling last month where, for the first time in South Korea, a court recognised misogyny as a motive for a hate crime.

"I now think I'm a feminist," On, who wanted to use her pen name for security reasons, told AFP in an interview.

The Changwon District Court ruling "has historical significance, but it seems to hold even greater meaning for me personally", she said.

The attack generated outrage in South Korea, and On became an inadvertent heroine for the country's women's rights movements.

Short hair has been very loosely associated with feminism in South Korea, which remains socially conservative despite its booming economy and the global popularity of its K-pop and K-drama content.

Same-sex marriage is not recognised, and among advanced economies it has relatively low rates of female workforce participation and one of the worst gender pay gaps.

- Militant moments -

As part of the global #MeToo movement that emerged around 2017, South Korean women held enormous rights demonstrations and won victories on issues from abortion access to harsher punishment for spycam crimes.

In their most militant moments, some campaigners went viral by destroying makeup products or cutting their hair short on camera to protest against the country's demanding beauty standards.

It also saw the emergence of the extreme 4B movement, which rejects dating, sex, marriage, or childbearing with men.

The movement, which means "Four Nos" in Korean, has been trending since Donald Trump won the US presidential election.

But South Korea has also seen a recent anti-feminism backlash, with President Yoon Suk Yeol courting young men on the campaign trail with denials of institutional discrimination against women and promises to abolish Ministry of Gender Equality, which his supporters claimed was "outdated".

The backlash previously ensnared unsuspecting victims such as triple Olympic archery champion An San, who was bullied online during the 2021 Tokyo Games for her short hair.

Writer On said she followed the furore at the time, even reporting online abuse she saw.

"When I first heard that having short hair meant you were a feminist, I found it absurd," On said.

"Athletes often find it more convenient to have short hair when they are training," she added, noting she had cut her own hair short before being assaulted last year because of the hot weather.

Archer An never officially commented on the online abuse, and her "pride and confidence, along with her ability to simply ignore negativity, were truly impressive," said On.

"Over time, I found myself (inspired by) her sense of dignity and confidence... thinking: 'Is there really anything that I should be ashamed of?'"

- Getting worse? -

A spate of high-profile deepfake pornography cases were uncovered this summer, targeting female students and staff at the country's schools and universities.

A Seoul court jailed one perpetrator for 10 years last month for assaulting women who attended the nation's top Seoul National University, saying his actions stemmed from "hatred toward socially successful women".

One victim, whose campaign name is Ruma, told AFP that her assailant "wanted to emphasise that no matter how accomplished a woman is, she can be trampled on and treated like a prank by men."

Activists such as Jung Yun-jung, who supported On through her trial, say the situation could worsen as inequality and competition for jobs increase.

South Korea has one of the world's lowest birthrates as well as a falling marriage rate, with experts pointing to intense competition over jobs and housing a factor, leaving young people despondent for their futures.

On is still on medication to treat the mental and physical wounds of her attack, but she has found purpose in supporting other women who may find themselves victimised in similar circumstances.

Feminism, in the end, is about believing that "women's rights are equally as important", she said.

"In that sense, I had indeed been a feminist even before the incident."

L.Rossi--NZN