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Korea - Women

The subordination of South Korean women, both in general and as manifested in education and employment, results from traditional patriarchal ideology derived from Confucianism. Korean society has for long been shaped by Confucian ideologies wherein age and gender among other factors predetermine one’s position in relation to others among friends, family and society as a whole.

Especially the determiners pertaining to age and gender lead to sexism and ageism which in essence encompass the widely spread prejudicial treatment of individuals in society based on their age and gender. In all segments of society older males hold the highest ranks while younger females hold the lowest positions. Moreover, since foreign and mixed racial children are not considered to be a part of the normal sphere of ‘Korean society’, these groups of students are regarded to hold even lower positions than the youngest of Korean females.

In order to understand the roots of sexism in Korean society, one must read the original meaning of the five moral principles, better described as: father-love, son-filiality; elder brother-brotherly love, younger brother-reverence; king-justice, subject-loyalty; husband initiative, wife obedience; and friends mutual faith. Nowhere is there a mention of daughter or daughterly love. In fact, wife is only mentioned in the context of obedience.

While the perception that women should be responsible for housework has been relatively relaxed, the attitude that women should be responsible for raising children has not been relaxed. The higher the level of education, the more likely it is that women will not agree with the stereotype that women should be responsible for housework, but will maintain the perception that it is desirable for mothers to directly care for young children.

There is a considerable level of conflict in Korean society regarding gender role stereotypes. Highly educated women may experience conflicts related to balancing work and family life due to the strong perception that they must devote themselves to raising children, and in high-income households, if the wife wants to work, she may experience conflicts due to differences in perception with her husband.

Domestic violence remained a significant and underreported problem. According to the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, sexual violence reporting had been steadily rising over the past seven years, and 65 percent of sexual violence cases were by employers or superiors in the workplace. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) reported that “couples violence” occurred in 14.2 percent of all families in 2016.

Femicide (the murder of women because of their gender) is an ongoing concern, with many cases connected to intimate partner violence. In 2021, over 9.3% of homicides occurred within intimate relationships, often following breakups or conflicts between partners. In South Korea, the gender distribution of murder victims and offenders reflects global patterns, with men more often both perpetrators and victims of violent crime, including murder. In 2021, a total of 692 murders or attempted murders were reported. Of the 650 victims whose gender was identified, 270 were women, representing around 41.5% of identified victims. A significant portion of these crimes occurred within close relationships, such as marriage or dating relationships. South Korea's overall murder rate in 2021 was 1.3 per 100,000 people, which marked a decline from previous years. In the United States, the femicide rate is notably high compared to other high-income countries, standing at 2.2 to 2.9 per 100,000 women. In 2022, the FBI reported that about 78% of murder victims in the United States were male, while 22% were female.

The 4B movement in South Korea is a radical feminist movement where women reject traditional roles such as marriage, dating, sex, and child-rearing. The term "4B" comes from four Korean words that begin with "bi-" (which means "no" in Korean): bihon (no marriage), biyeonae (no dating), bichulsan (no childbirth), and bisekseu (no sex with men). This movement emerged as a response to the deeply entrenched patriarchy, widespread misogyny, and issues such as violence against women, including intimate partner violence and harassment. The movement also reflects the frustration many women feel over gender inequality, including South Korea’s large gender pay gap, and the pressures placed on women to conform to traditional roles. It gained significant attention online and has been linked to South Korea's declining birth rate, which is the lowest in the world. The 4B movement reflects a broader trend of young women opting out of societal expectations in favor of autonomy and rejecting relationships with men, whom they see as upholding patriarchal values.

In January 2019 authorities began investigating claims that the Gangnam club Burning Sun had drugged female patrons, who later said they were raped in the club’s VIP room. Mega-popular K-pop boy band BIGBANG member Seungri (real name Lee Seung-hyun) stood accused of providing prostitutes for wealthy investors.

Korean singer-songwriter and TV celebrity Jung Joon Young admitted to filming women in sexual situations without their consent and proliferating those videos to others. "I admit to all of my sins. I filmed women without their consent, shared the videos in a SNS [social networking service] group chat and did such behavior without feeling any sense of guilt,” Jung said in a statement. “Most of all, I kneel down to apologize to the women who appear in the videos and all those who might be disappointed and upset at this shocking incident.”

Choi Ji-eun, a former journalist and commentator on South Korean pop culture, said if those charged were to be found guilty and severely punished when they illegally film and share the footage; use date rape drugs, and commit sexual harassment, “it will break down the strong structure [of a male-dominated society] and vicious circle.”

The law criminalizes rape; although no specific statute defines spousal rape as illegal, the Supreme Court acknowledged marital rape as illegal. The penalty for rape ranges from a minimum of three years to life imprisonment depending on the specific circumstances. Rape is defined in law as involving the use of violence. The law defines domestic violence as a serious crime and authorizes authorities to order offenders to stay away from victims for up to six months. This restraining order may be extended up to two years. Offenders may be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison and fined up to seven million won ($6,240) for domestic violence offenses. Noncompliance with domestic violence restraining orders may result in a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a fine of up to 20 million won ($17,800). Authorities may also place offenders on probation or order them to see court-designated counselors.

Police generally responded promptly and appropriately to reported incidents, and the judicial system effectively enforced the law. The fact, however, that a rape conviction requires proving that violence was used, and because the country’s defamation laws allow a countersuit by alleged perpetrators, rape laws often go unenforced.

The high profile case of former presidential hopeful and governor of South Chuncheong, Ahn Hee-jung, who was charged in March with raping his former secretary, drew nationwide attention to the country’s contentious definition of rape, which is based on “means of violence” rather than lack of consent. In August the court concluded Ahn did not exercise physical violence or verbal abuse against his former secretary and acquitted him.

In August 2018, MOGEF established the Japanese Military Comfort Women Research Institute to support research and projects related to World War II “comfort women” (women trafficked for sexual purposes). The 2015 comfort women agreement with Japan remained controversial throughout the year, with vocal opposition by civil society and survivor groups and a demonstration in September in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Reconciliation and Healing Foundation, which was established to disburse the 1 billion yen (approximately $9.1 million) Japan contributed under the 2015 agreement, became inactive during the year and public calls for its dissolution continued to mount. On November 21, MOGEF announced it would begin dissolving the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation. President Moon has stated he will not renegotiate nor return the approximately $4.6 million in remaining foundation funds.?