Korea Chooses To Be In Favor Of Foreskin
Male Circumcision or Male Genital Mutilation? What’s the difference?
Mutilation is defined as an act or instance of destroying, removing, or severely damaging a limb or other body part of a person. So, by definition, circumcision IS mutilation.
And I resent anyone saying that it’s not mutilation if it’s done for medical reasons. While medical circumcision might be necessary in a very small number of cases, it’s mostly done to infants and young boys, routinely or as tradition, who have no medical issues that would warrant such a cut!
Growing up as a (white) South African I was vaguely aware of the practice of Ulwaluko (the annual Xhosa circumcision ritual as a rite of passage). But this was not part of my culture and as such did not affect me so I gave it no thought.
It was only years later when newspaper headlines made my stomach turn. Headlines such as “60 Males die in this year’s circumcision ritual” or “Our most successful initiation yet with only 34 deaths recorded”.
In 2018 the Journal of Medical Ethics estimated that roughly 250 traditional circumcisions lead to penile amputations annually in South Africa.
Every year we have to read another death toll headline. And so, I asked myself, “How can any parent approve of this barbaric ritual, knowing that their son might die or end up losing his penis?” The answer is complex and will require a whole other blog post. But in a nutshell, it’s all about culture and tradition and the boy becoming a man.
Fast forward a few years to where I now live in South Korea. I was filled with dismay to find that the circumcision rate (at the time) was well over 80%. A little reading into the matter soon led me to one of the many “great” and unsought exports of the USA: routine infant male circumcision!
Koreans were not even aware of this practice until after they gained their independence from Japan. It was at this time, 1945 to be exact, that Americans had Koreans convinced of the evils of the foreskin and genital cutting became routine at an alarming rate.
Just on a side note, for those still unaware, Americans started this practice because the (in)famous John Harvey Kellogg had them convinced that masturbation led to defective development, mood swings, boldness, bad posture, acne, epilepsy and a string of other ridiculous ailments. His solution? He suggested that threading the foreskin with silver wire to prevent an erection, and later circumcision, will prevent masturbation.
It was this belief that Americans brought to the Korean people which in turn led to the extraordinarily high cutting rate. A people, newly independent from colonial occupation, believed what this great nation had told them.
But there is good news for young Korean boys. A 2012 study showed that the circumcision rate for males aged 14–16 has decreased by 30%, from 88.4% to 56.4%, in just one decade.
South Korea’s male circumcision is continuing to undergo a steep decline. The reason seems to be the increase in information available on the pros and cons of circumcision. More and more Korean parents are choosing not to circumcise their sons after learning that this practice is not all it’s cut out to be and that there is no good evidence for the potential health benefits. Or at least, the supposed health benefits are not that significant and they do not outweigh the risks.
After all, two-thirds of the world’s male population are intact and they do not have higher rates of anything (except for greater sensitivity and pleasure of course).
I was recently annoyed (to put it mildly) when I saw a Korean urology clinic advertising free Botox to the parent of every boy they circumcise. However, this feeling soon made way for immense joy as I realized that the only reason they’d run such a promotion is because the clinic is hard up for a once booming business that is fast dying out.
There are several differences in the circumcision practices between South Africa’s Xhosa people and the people of Korea. The one circumcises as an initiation practice to welcome a boy into manhood. The other does it because of false medical beliefs and to ensure that all boys “look the same”. In SA, the cutting is done by a “traditional surgeon”. In Korea, it’s done in a hospital setting.
But no matter the reasons for male genital cutting or the way it is carried out around the world. One thing is certain; it is genital mutilation and remains a barbaric practice, in exactly the same way as when it’s done to a girl.
It is time we set the same high standards for our boys as we do for our girls when it comes to genital integrity.