Practicing Feminism in South Korea: The Women's Movement Against Sexual Violence

by Kyungja Jung

The Korean women s movement, which is seen in both Western and non-Western countries as being exemplary in terms of women s activism, experienced a dramatic change in its direction and strategy in the early 1990s. At the heart of the new approach was an increasing focus on sexual violence, which has had a huge impact on bringing women s issues onto the public agenda in Korea. This book examines feminist practice in Korea by analyzing the experiences of the country s first sexual assault center, the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center. Based on extensive original research, including interviews with activists and extensive participant observation, it explores why feminist activists in South Korea chose to organize around the issue of sexual violence, the strategies it used to do so, what impact the movement has made and what challenges it still faces to achieve its objectives.

Genres: Feminism

148 pages, Hardcover

First published September 11, 2012

Reviews

[M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a few terminological issues that kept me from fully engaging with the terms of the discussion, whether I agreed or not, that's antoher point.

But the crux of the issue is that Kyungia Jung tells us, in the very first pages, that woman's based perspectives necessarily imply gender based perspectives. Gender and sex are not the same, especially if we take into account that a lot of the Korean grassroots feminist organizations began inspired by second wave texts, then this should be clear. In the 1990s, when sexual harrasment was brought to light as a reality women faced, and when rape legislation was changed to favor women, also the word women was replaced by gender when referring to women oriented policy. This is ridiculous and should have been criticized by the author. Sex based oppression and sex based rights are a much more easily understandable term, and not hovering in the vagueness that is gender equality: do you mean the sexes or the roles are equal? Or do you mean something different entirely?

The other thing is that when speaking about sexual assault and rape, the author dicusses the victims' fear of loss of chastity. Chastity and virginity are related but not interchangeable. Chastity is more your attitude to sexuality, while virginity is either a transitory state or a confirmation of permanent celibacy. Consieedered in its gruesome physical aspect, while it is certainly threatened by rape, from what I could find, this alone concluded a motive for suicide in Confucian culture (just like in Roman times, when St. Augustine had to debate this issue).

Thirdly, in the beginning and towards the end of the book, she uses the word prostitution but sex work, which it's an ultimate liberal feminist term aimed to erase the struggle of prostituted women.

That being said, I also learned: that maternity leave was only passed into law as late as 2001, that the fertility rate worry goes back as far as 2006. That strangely enough, the KSVRC (Korea's first feminist focused sexual violence relief center) received Protestant support overseas,

[zuh · Rating 5 out of 5]

We must thank women that they all want equality, not revenge. The nonfiction novel that I read that leaves me captivated was written by Kyungja Jung feminist woman who interviewed some activists said in the book. The book contains how to fight for the right of women. “ These myths included presumptions that women are seductresses who invited sexual encounters, that women secretly want to be raped, that women eventually relax and enjoy sexual violence, and that men have urgent sexual needs that prevent them from controlling their behavior.” First of all, women who dress up seductively are none of your business they wear what they want, and where they feel themselves comfortable is none of your business. Second, women who said ‘no’ means no there is no argument with that one thing. Third, women who got raped didn’t enjoy it and she is suffering from it so, who are you to invalidate someone’s feelings in the case they don’t want it in the first place? If you think like that you’re fuck up & a horrible person. The horrific scene that actually happened in South Korea made me gasp and sad-teary-eyed. My favorite quote from this great book is “Sexual violence is not just your problem, it’s our problem, too, you are not the only one.” So I’ll give this book 5/5 stars it really deserved to be read by anyone and it’s very worth it to read