#MeToo is Actually Working in Korea

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The Butterfly Effect

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Sexual violence was the key topic of 2017 in the US. More so than gun violence and following the drama surrounding the ’16 election, the #metoo movement raged with fury through media, offices, and social circles in the US. Regardless of what you think of the consequences, it was without a doubt a pivotal moment for free society to look at a problem that creeped around the shadows and terrified many.

But since the peak of allegations and public reports early last fall, the conversation, at least on American ground, has faced some stunting challenged. Allegations devolved from actual rape and sexual assault into sexual ‘misconduct’ and more and more he-said-she-said behavior. Things spiraled out of control and a level of caution emerged when the movement went as far as to accuse Aziz Ansari by twisting a report on a supposed bad date into something of an infraction on his part. The mudslinging has calmed down a bit since then and the hashtag trend of accusing some kind of systematic oppression has died down.

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What was quite unexpected was the ripple effect on Korean ground. Since late February, the MeToo tag has taken grip on the peninsula with dozens of women coming forward, all with digital evidence of their employers’ malfeasances. In comparison to America’s more subtle gender discrepancies, Korea is an actual patriarchal society where men exert great force over women both physically and professionally. Since this first spark, all sorts of notable men have been pulled out from director, managerial, artistic, political, etc. positions. Many have resigned and many have even gone as far as actual suicide in the face of public persecution.

• Prominent politician Hee=Jung Ahn resigns after allegations. Source

One of the most recognizable amongst the accused is legendary director Ki-Duk Kim. Arguably one of the biggest proponents of modern artistic cinema in Korea, he has now been accused of multiple separate rapes.

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The Unfolding

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A few days ago I looked at the Pence Rule and how the momentum of this social uprising is having some significant consequences in Korean life. The mission, of course, is to target and confront the perpetrators of society. But that that mission is filled with a variety of strategies that have unforeseen effects on the social fabric. Now, unfortunately, women feel more ostracized than ever. It’s evident in Korea that there needs to be much more than just an offensive but also a strong push to establish a foundation for victims and professionals in general. Otherwise, the divide will just become more severe.

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I have a few friends and colleagues, of whom all studied in the liberal parts of the US, who are suddenly up in arms about feminism in a country that has the largest disparities of wealth and status amongst all OECD nations. I see the same fire of social justice sparking amongst them and I personally am very wary of this tactic on Korean ground. Agitator activism and identity politics don’t work the same way in Korea and using the same genre of protest as seen in Hollywood might cause more significant and immediate harm than actual solutions.

All of this amounts to some very tangled problems and intricate questions that I look forward to partaking in during these times. I’m curious to hear your thoughts, as this topic specifically bridges the concurrent issues of Korea and the US.

As always, Steem on.