Presidential election in South Korea: feminists speak out against sexist remarks and behavior
Audio 01:22
Demonstration in support of the #MeToo movement on International Women's Day in Seoul on March 8, 2018. AP - Ahn Young-joon
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
On March 9, the presidential election will be held in South Korea.
At the heart of the debates during these last days of the campaign, feminist issues.
The candidates clashed on this very important theme among young South Koreans, especially among men with increasingly marked anti-feminism.
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With our correspondent in Seoul
,
Nicolas Rocca
In order to protest against this tendency of anti-feminism which appears within the Korean political class, feminists gathered this Sunday, February 27 in Seoul.
All dressed in white, several hundred of them have come to challenge
the main candidates
so that they do not give in to anti-feminist ideals, very popular among young South Korean men.
“
A candidate explained that there is no difference in treatment in Korean society between men and women, which deeply shocked me and that is why I came today
,” explains this university student.
Candidates opposing feminist movements
These remarks on the difference in treatment between men and women in the country call out, because South Korea has the largest wage gap between men and women of all OECD countries.
However, the main candidates have rather sought to seduce the male electorate, believes an activist who wishes to remain anonymous in order to avoid cyberbullying orchestrated by anti-feminist groups.
“
The main subject is the right-wing candidate's proposal to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which we are currently facing.
Right now, women's rights in South Korea are really on the wrong track.
I am afraid of the outcome of this election and that is why many women have come today.
»
During the last municipal elections, the vote of young men had allowed the conservative camp to win and for this presidential election, Yoon seok-yeol, conservative presidential candidate, campaigned by opposing feminist movements head-on.
Among other proposals, he wants to increase penalties for slanderous statements of sexual assault.
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To read: In South Korea, the offensive of masculinists against feminists
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