How #MeToo and #WithYou movements spread in S. Korea in 2018
- 5 years ago
2018 10대뉴스: 미투운동에서 위드유 운동으로
We continue our look back at the biggest domestic new stories of the year.
In 2018, the #MeToo Movement exploded into the public consciousness.
It helped bring to light, sex crimes by men of power and influence, abusing their authority, with victims speaking up and taking a stand.
Our Oh Soo-young zooms in on how it's helping women fight for a future free of sexual harassment and abuse.
It started with a confession from female prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun who revealed the sexual harassment she'd suffered under a then-incumbent senior official of the Justice Ministry.
The #MeToo Movement broke out with full force in South Korea in January, as Seo's televised interview led to public fury over the mistreatment and the career setbacks she had faced after she initially reported the incident.
Seo Ji-hyun's case was followed by more revelations by women who came forward to accuse influential men in South Korean society, mostly in political and cultural circles.
These include a provincial governor and liberal presidential contender who stepped down after his former secretary accused him of rape on multiple occasions.
A renowned filmmaker and an artistic director were charged with rape,... and a potential Nobel Prize winning poet was also disgraced after accusations of sexual harassment,... with his poems removed from school textbooks.
The movement soon spread across universities, schools and workplaces,... as girls and women began speaking out.
This soon gave rise to Korea's own #WithYou movement,... where women rallied to show support for the female victims.
The movement also represents the stand against Korea's traditionally patriarchal society and work culture,... which has made women all the more vulnerable to abuse and discrimination,... while the country's conservative culture is deemed to have stifled them from speaking out.
The World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap survey shows South Korea ranks 115th out of 149 countries in terms of gender equality -- when it comes to economic participation and opportunities, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.
Since the start of the MeToo movement, there have been growing calls for stronger laws to prevent and punish sexual violence and harassment -- especially in the workplace.
And fundamentally, many have raised the need to root out the long-standing culture of discrimination against women,... and to listen to those who raise gender issues rather than dismissing them as overzealous feminists.
Experts say perceptions of gender issues have been changing for the better in light of the MeToo and WithYou movements this year,... but in order to go forward, more support for women and gender education is needed across all aspects of society.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.
We continue our look back at the biggest domestic new stories of the year.
In 2018, the #MeToo Movement exploded into the public consciousness.
It helped bring to light, sex crimes by men of power and influence, abusing their authority, with victims speaking up and taking a stand.
Our Oh Soo-young zooms in on how it's helping women fight for a future free of sexual harassment and abuse.
It started with a confession from female prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun who revealed the sexual harassment she'd suffered under a then-incumbent senior official of the Justice Ministry.
The #MeToo Movement broke out with full force in South Korea in January, as Seo's televised interview led to public fury over the mistreatment and the career setbacks she had faced after she initially reported the incident.
Seo Ji-hyun's case was followed by more revelations by women who came forward to accuse influential men in South Korean society, mostly in political and cultural circles.
These include a provincial governor and liberal presidential contender who stepped down after his former secretary accused him of rape on multiple occasions.
A renowned filmmaker and an artistic director were charged with rape,... and a potential Nobel Prize winning poet was also disgraced after accusations of sexual harassment,... with his poems removed from school textbooks.
The movement soon spread across universities, schools and workplaces,... as girls and women began speaking out.
This soon gave rise to Korea's own #WithYou movement,... where women rallied to show support for the female victims.
The movement also represents the stand against Korea's traditionally patriarchal society and work culture,... which has made women all the more vulnerable to abuse and discrimination,... while the country's conservative culture is deemed to have stifled them from speaking out.
The World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap survey shows South Korea ranks 115th out of 149 countries in terms of gender equality -- when it comes to economic participation and opportunities, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.
Since the start of the MeToo movement, there have been growing calls for stronger laws to prevent and punish sexual violence and harassment -- especially in the workplace.
And fundamentally, many have raised the need to root out the long-standing culture of discrimination against women,... and to listen to those who raise gender issues rather than dismissing them as overzealous feminists.
Experts say perceptions of gender issues have been changing for the better in light of the MeToo and WithYou movements this year,... but in order to go forward, more support for women and gender education is needed across all aspects of society.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.