The Little Symbol Triggering Men in South Korea's Gender War

[soryang]

The Little Symbol Triggering Men in South Korea’s Gender War
July 30, 2021

South Korea may be internationally regarded as an economic, technological and cultural powerhouse, but that reputation obscures what little power it cedes to women. The gender pay gap is the widest among advanced economies, at 35 percent, and sexist job recruitment abounds. More than 65 percent of companies listed on the Korean Exchange have no female executives. And the country is consistently ranked by The Economist as having the worst environment for working women among O.E.C.D. countries.

...

Now, in the run-up to the March 2022 presidential election, the country’s conservative opposition party seems to be engineering a revival by exploiting the division. Last month, Lee Jun-seok, a men’s-rights crusader who amplified the charge of man hatred against GS25, was elected leader of the right-wing People Power Party. Arguing that today’s young men are targets of “reverse discrimination,” Mr. Lee is expected to wield considerable influence in the party and drum up huge support for its candidate. (Mr. Lee is 36; contenders must be at least 40.)

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/30/opinion/international-world/korea-emoji-feminism-misogyny.html

The episode described in the NY Times essay is only a small part of the story told in the essay. In fact, it would be difficult for any single essay to describe the extreme misogyny prevalent in South Korea today. Here's another episode in the news:

Link to tweet

Lee Jun-seok has never won a public office by election. He's a demagogue that the right wing so called People's Power Party, has decided to employ for cynical reasons.

[Mosby]

1. Misogyny is the tip of the iceberg in S.Korea

54% of its citizens are Antisemitic. How is that possible?

33% of S. Koreans are racist.

https://thediplomat.com/2014/05/why-is-south-korea-so-anti-semitic/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/05/15/a-fascinating-map-of-the-worlds-most-and-least-racially-tolerant-countries/

[soryang]

2. don't agree

i think the absence of readily targetable scapegoats for the frustration and anger resultant to neoliberal austerity and the restrictions resultant to the pandemic falls mostly upon women and girls in South Korea.

Things have changed a lot since 2014.