Sexism in South Korea is more serious than you might think

In 1996, South Korea was deemed to be a man’s world. At this time compared to almost any other country in the world, South Korea had fewer female politicians or business executives. Numerous changes have taken place since 1996, primarily that the current president, is a woman, yet questions remain how sexist South Korea really is?

Women in South Korea are judged on a number of aspects, however one of the most important is often their appearance. To be successful in South Korea, looking aesthetically attractive often means more than experience or education as it is what most people judge females on. T

he Atlantic reported that due to three decades of powerful Korean consumer culture, Korean women equate beauty with professional and economic success. Take for example the case of job applications, where women are required to include a photo, and often blood type, height and weight.

This breeds negative body images amongst young women and is detrimental to women’s empowerment.

The Typewriter undertook two interviews with female workers between the twenty to thirty year old age range. In these interviews, both TK and MJ depicted their experiences of sexism whilst working in South Korean companies. TK, a 28-year-old designer confirmed how important physical looks are.

“Male friends annoyed me to lose weight… people always care about what I look like”

In South Korea, the physical standards women are encouraged to obtain and sustain are literally an impossible feat. In 2009, it was reported that Koreans are the thinnest people in the OECD, and Korean women hold the worst body image views.

The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons found that 20% of women have had some form of cosmetic work, compared to the 5% of women in America.

The stigma and pressure to look like the ideal type fuels an unsustainable image that all Korean women become subject to. Modern popular culture has seen numerous terms created which depict different parts of the body / or body shapes that Korean women (and men) strive to work towards.

Such terms include, ‘S-line’, ‘V-line‘, ‘W-line’ and also ‘X-line’. It has been found that these terms are often false, take for example the ‘X-line’ where the company Amore Pacific digitally changed a Yoon Eun-hye’s (윤은혜) body when her natural shape was perceived as inferior.

Another issue for women in South Korea is the “unspoken consensus” amongst significant South Korean men, who presume they can avoid punishment for sexual harassment which can include sexual comments.

An example is of the former President’s spokesperson Yoon Chang-Jung. In 2013, Yoon was accused of unwanted sexual contact with a young intern at the South Korean Embassy in Washington. Yoon in his defense, blamed it on ‘cultural differences’ with the United States.

Does this mean that unwanted sexual contact or comments is to be accepted in the South Korean work environment?

It appears that it could be, but sexism is present everywhere in every country. It could be said that South Korea itself lacks an awareness of sexism throughout the whole of Korean society. The misogyny which is encompassed in South Korean culture hurts both men and women, and is validated through the roles that both respective sexes play and maintain.

MJ, a 28-year-old graduate who has worked for various industries within South Korea explains this further.

She notes that

“…the bigger issue here is that women, who are the victims of the situation, are not very vocal to speak of the problem…”.

But how should South Koreans be more vocal, in an environment where they are held under such scrutiny that anything they say or do will be interpreted as something else? How should a female deal with sexual comments such as the one TK gave?

One of TK’s male managers who was married for over twenty years, had the reputation among the women in her business for being unprofessional with his comments. She mentioned that he once made a lecherous comment towards a female co-worker, who implied that she should make one of his friends (whom were his age) her lover. It was laughed and brushed off, so how should South Koreans deal with this issue?

In all, sexism is everywhere yet it may be more pronounced in South Korea. Especially due to the history of the country, the traditional and modern roles that both men and women are expected to play.

To continue with women’s empowerment in South Korea and to try and diminish sexism in the country, it is imperative that South Korean women are more vocal to any sexist actions they may receive. Moreover, it is important that the rest of the country — institutions and men alike — realise this issue also.