The Fort Worth Press - Short cut to feminism: How an assault changed Korean woman's outlook

USD -
AED 3.673005
AFN 68.386442
ALL 93.021933
AMD 389.349314
ANG 1.803734
AOA 913.000031
ARS 1002.721397
AUD 1.53358
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.702057
BAM 1.854577
BBD 2.020785
BDT 119.602116
BGN 1.858799
BHD 0.376916
BIF 2956.030306
BMD 1
BND 1.344124
BOB 6.930721
BRL 5.790848
BSD 1.000863
BTN 84.433613
BWP 13.672612
BYN 3.275301
BYR 19600
BZD 2.017372
CAD 1.39639
CDF 2864.999911
CHF 0.88374
CLF 0.035265
CLP 973.069559
CNY 7.241401
CNH 7.24719
COP 4396.59
CRC 508.251983
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 104.558213
CZK 24.0877
DJF 178.22092
DKK 7.087555
DOP 60.364405
DZD 133.750861
EGP 49.678296
ERN 15
ETB 124.782215
EUR 0.950275
FJD 2.269701
FKP 0.789317
GBP 0.791103
GEL 2.740301
GGP 0.789317
GHS 15.887842
GIP 0.789317
GMD 71.000247
GNF 8627.008472
GTQ 7.726299
GYD 209.391416
HKD 7.782965
HNL 25.291226
HRK 7.133259
HTG 131.472895
HUF 390.756993
IDR 15903.25
ILS 3.732285
IMP 0.789317
INR 84.493503
IQD 1311.043259
IRR 42092.505939
ISK 138.290123
JEP 0.789317
JMD 158.639851
JOD 0.709302
JPY 154.656495
KES 129.249619
KGS 86.506766
KHR 4038.536303
KMF 467.499881
KPW 899.999621
KRW 1398.125025
KWD 0.30759
KYD 0.834076
KZT 497.17423
LAK 21976.521459
LBP 89633.50686
LKR 291.187013
LRD 181.150969
LSL 18.152914
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.883414
MAD 9.998293
MDL 18.214834
MGA 4685.233124
MKD 58.48862
MMK 3247.960992
MNT 3397.999946
MOP 8.024142
MRU 39.785889
MUR 46.412517
MVR 15.460006
MWK 1735.461174
MXN 20.325297
MYR 4.464971
MZN 63.950307
NAD 18.152914
NGN 1680.590024
NIO 36.829479
NOK 11.03348
NPR 135.09167
NZD 1.703345
OMR 0.385001
PAB 1.000778
PEN 3.7981
PGK 4.029035
PHP 59.039501
PKR 278.226704
PLN 4.126669
PYG 7838.117183
QAR 3.649699
RON 4.729799
RSD 111.205995
RUB 101.000437
RWF 1380.157217
SAR 3.754257
SBD 8.355531
SCR 13.619994
SDG 601.497088
SEK 11.030315
SGD 1.343699
SHP 0.789317
SLE 22.575045
SLL 20969.504736
SOS 571.975839
SRD 35.43028
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.757041
SYP 2512.529858
SZL 18.142596
THB 34.647019
TJS 10.658746
TMT 3.5
TND 3.159078
TOP 2.342102
TRY 34.465475
TTD 6.776157
TWD 32.567494
TZS 2652.359028
UAH 41.269214
UGX 3693.413492
UYU 42.784805
UZS 12854.406494
VES 46.433371
VND 25422.5
VUV 118.722009
WST 2.791591
XAF 622.001915
XAG 0.032192
XAU 0.000375
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.761528
XOF 622.001915
XPF 113.087675
YER 249.924998
ZAR 18.116198
ZMK 9001.198706
ZMW 27.697968
ZWL 321.999592
  • RBGPF

    59.6900

    59.69

    +100%

  • CMSC

    -0.0450

    24.52

    -0.18%

  • SCS

    -0.0200

    13.07

    -0.15%

  • RIO

    -0.0400

    62.39

    -0.06%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0800

    6.61

    -1.21%

  • VOD

    0.0200

    8.94

    +0.22%

  • NGG

    -0.3100

    63.27

    -0.49%

  • BCC

    -0.7700

    137.41

    -0.56%

  • GSK

    -0.1100

    33.35

    -0.33%

  • RELX

    -0.1800

    45.11

    -0.4%

  • CMSD

    -0.0836

    24.26

    -0.34%

  • BCE

    -0.3100

    27

    -1.15%

  • BTI

    0.1500

    37.08

    +0.4%

  • JRI

    -0.0300

    13.23

    -0.23%

  • BP

    -0.0100

    29.08

    -0.03%

  • AZN

    -0.6000

    63.2

    -0.95%

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: © 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."

T.Mason--TFWP