EDITOR’S LETTER
Hello. This is Editor Oh Jin-dal-rae, greeting you with June's NEWS HERLIVERY REPORT EDITION. In this issue, we have also collected articles that add depth and perspective to the women's agenda.
It has been reported that male reporters covering politics have made sexually harassing remarks about journalists and politicians in group chat rooms. It has been 20 years since the ‘Milyang mass sexual violence incident’ occurred, and we have looked into what has changed in our society over the years. We also heard expert opinions on the risk of revealing the personal information of cyber wreckers who talk about ‘implementing justice.’ We looked into the issues of illegal prostitution and human rights violations that are being ignored by the ‘AV actor’ content that is being consumed as a trend.
At the Spring Conference of the Korean Women's Association, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, there was a heated discussion on the dynamics of feminism and backlash over the past 10 years. The Swedish Writers' Union issued a statement demanding the withdrawal of the designation of a Swedish youth sex education book as a harmful publication by the Publication Ethics Committee under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
We examined the meaning of a female spouse’s ‘contribution to housework’ through the results of the divorce appeal trial between SK Chairman Choi Tae-won and Art Center Nabi Director Noh So-young. The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it would increase the out-of-pocket rate for Painbuster, a local anesthetic used in cesarean sections, to 100%. Criticism continues from the pregnant community and others.
Kookmin University and Jangan University are preparing to launch a women's baseball team. This is good news for female students who want to learn baseball professionally in a reality where domestic universities do not have official women's baseball teams except for women's baseball clubs.
We looked into what the fight of Kang Ju-ryong, a labor activist and independence activist during the Japanese colonial period, means to contemporary feminists. We also prepared an interview with author Hwang Bo-reum, who won first place at the Japanese Bookstore Awards with 『Welcome to Hunam-dong Bookstore』.
We hope that the articles on female figures and women's agenda brought to you by NEWS HERLIVERY will help you take a firmer step toward reality as a woman. I will greet you again with more diverse and in-depth articles in the next letter. Thank you.
- Best Wishes, Editor Oh Jin-dal-rae
Male reporters covering politics, sexual harassment of journalists and politicians in group chat rooms
Noh Ji-min, Media Today, 24.06.27
A KakaoTalk chat room (group chat room) was identified in which male reporters covering politics made sexually harassing comments about a number of journalists and politicians. The majority of victims are women, but there are also cases of male victims.
According to Media Today's coverage, three male reporters who visited the National Assembly and the President's Office made sexually harassing remarks about at least eight people. To protect the victims, the circumstances of obtaining the conversation and information about the victims are not disclosed, and those identified as perpetrators are even disclosed to their media outlets. Expressions unsuitable for article writing were replaced with special characters.
In the group chat room, fellow reporters who were in daily contact at the reporting site became targets of sexual harassment. Reporter A shared a video of a male and female reporter sitting side by side with a cell phone and laptop waiting at the reporting site in a group chat room, and then re-posted the photo so that the lower bodies of the two reporters looked larger. Reporter B, who saw this photo, said, “○○ (a slang term referring to the male genitalia) ○ looks small,” and Reporter C also responded with laughter. (syncopation)
Female politicians have also been targeted for sexual harassment. In the case of reporter A, she mentioned the name of a restaurant in Yeouido, Seoul and the real name of a female member of the National Assembly, and said, “I want to eat ○○○, not ○○○.” In addition, Reporter A also used sexual profanity toward female reporters, such as “You’re such a slut” and “You should get sick of Mr. ○○.” In the case of some reporters, it was found that they were subjected to abusive language even though they had no close relationship with reporter A. (syncopation)
Kim Hye-jeong, director of the Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center, said, “It can be seen as more harmful because it is an act of sexual insult without the person involved knowing,” adding, “If it had been prolonged and secretly, and had not been known, it is highly likely that it would have been a major issue for a longer period of time.” I pointed it out. Director Kim said, “Workplace sexual harassment is a violation of labor rights and is therefore regulated by labor-related laws. “What the media reporters did was a violation of the labor rights of media reporters working in the same space, and it was a sexual insult to the subject of the story, so it was an act that did not conform to professional ethics or reporting ethics,” he said. “The problem has not yet been discovered, and there may be more.” “It is a worrisome situation that exists,” he said.
Given that similar incidents are being repeated, active responses within the media are also required. Previously, in 2017, a case was made public where four male reporters sexually harassed female reporters by mentioning their real names, companies, and physical characteristics in detail in a KakaoTalk group chat room, and controversy over disciplinary action arose afterwards. In 2019, there was an incident in which secondary abuse of sexual assault victims occurred and illegal filming and pornography were shared in a KakaoTalk open chat room where many journalists, PDs, and other journalists participated.
20 years after ‘Miryang’, what has not changed
Park Hyun-jung, Hankyoreh, 24.06.24
He said that if such an incident had occurred in 2024, considering the crime and age, the perpetrators would have been tried criminally rather than sent to the juvenile department. Since the crime of parental reporting has disappeared (applied to sex crimes against children and adolescents in 2007 and all sex crimes in 2013), there will have been no or fewer people who escaped punishment even though they participated in the crime. With the help of the victim's public defender (introduced in 2012), secondary damage during the investigation and trial process may have been slightly reduced, or the situation of separating the victim from a family that cannot fully protect the child and forcing them into a 'forced agreement' may have been avoided. .
This change in the legal system is also a debt our society owes to the victims. one police officer said. “Until the mid-2000s, the concept of ‘secondary damage’ to victims of sexual crimes did not exist at the forefront. “The Miryang group sexual assault case is also the first precedent in which the police recognized that they have a ‘professional duty’ to prevent secondary damage.” (syncopation)
Nevertheless, 2004 and 2024 are no different. Group sex crimes that destroy a person's personality are continuing with different names using digital technology. The protection network for victims of gender violence, including dating violence, domestic violence, and prostitution, is also weak. In the investigation and trial process, which focuses on punishing the perpetrator, the issue of recovering damages is not dealt with as importantly.
Cyberwrecker’s ‘justice’ at stake
Lee Sang-won, Sisain, 24.06.28
The Miryang sexual assault case is a crime in which male high school students sexually abused a female student for approximately 11 months. There are a total of 44 perpetrators sent by the police, and if you include indirect participants such as looking out, there are over 100. There were many problems with the investigation and trial. The police lined up 41 suspects in the criminal department office and asked the victim to point out the culprit. There was also a police officer who made insulting remarks to the victim. At the time, sexual assault was a crime committed against someone. Some perpetrators who reached agreements with the victims' families could not be prosecuted. As a result, 10 perpetrators were indicted for special rape and forcible molestation. On April 12, 2005, the Ulsan District Court's 3rd Criminal Division (Chief Judge Hwang Jin-hyo) sent 10 perpetrators to juvenile detention and placed them on probation. No criminal record left.
On June 1, Narak Storage uploaded a video titled ‘Milyang sexual assault case instigator ○○○, did you think I wouldn’t be able to find it?’, bringing an incident from 20 years ago to the surface. The Hell Storage Center pointed to a YouTube video from two years ago by restaurant businessman and broadcaster Baek Jong-won. It is said that the restaurant employee who appears in the video is the main culprit in the Miryang sexual assault case. Key personal information, including the perpetrator's name, age, workplace, and words written on social media, was disclosed. Netizens went to the SNS account of not only the person identified as the perpetrator, but also the owner of the restaurant where he was known to work, and poured out messages of criticism. The next day the restaurant closed. On June 5, the Narak Storage Center announced, “We have had a conversation with the victim and will disclose all 44 (perpetrators).” In addition to Hell Storage, several YouTubers followed suit and revealed new information. (syncopation)
In legal circles, it is pointed out that the personal information disclosure system itself is a policy that focuses on increasing punishment rather than preventing crime. There is criticism that heavy punishments such as chemical castration and employment restrictions, which are compared to Korea's ‘soft punishment’, are a product of populism. Taesang Kwon, a professor at Ewha Womans University Law School, said in his 2020 paper ‘Criminal Personal Information Disclosure and Personal Rights’, “As questions were raised about the criminal policy based on treatment, correction, and resocialization, a severe punishment-oriented criminal policy emerged, and criminal policies such as registration and personal information of criminals emerged. We introduce the view that “the disclosure system is based on this.”
‘AV actor’ content consumed like a ‘trend’… Ignoring illegal prostitution and human rights violations
Lee Ye-seul⸳Bae Si-eun, Kyunghyang Shinmun,
In a video released by the YouTube channel ‘Nopaku Tak Jae-hoon’ on the 19th, a Japanese AV actor who appeared as a guest said to a female idol MC, “I have a good body, so please debut (as an AV actor).” The video showed the female MC being embarrassed by this remark and the other MCs laughing while watching this. Netizens poured out criticism, saying things like, “The unpleasant truth about pornography is that even if it sexually harasses and insults you, it’s okay to insist that it’s a compliment,” and “AV is illegal in Korea, so the production team should have filtered out such comments.” The production team of ‘Nopaku Tak Jae-hoon’ posted an apology and apologized, saying, “There was no consideration for the new MC,” and “Although Tak Jae-hoon tried to dissuade him, in the process of editing it just for fun, it was edited so as not to reveal Tak Jae-hoon’s intentions.” The controversial scene has been deleted from the video.
Experts pointed out that this controversy “is an example that shows the reality of new media where only fun and stimulation are the standards for content production.” Yoon Kim Ji-young, a professor of philosophy at Changwon National University, said, “In the current media ecosystem, in order to capture the ‘attention’ of viewers, which is a limited resource, we are producing more provocative content by covering things that could not be covered in existing media, such as AV-related content.”
Kim Heon-sik, a popular culture critic, said, “Even though pornography is illegal in Korea, comments suggesting it have been exposed indiscriminately.” He continued, “Because YouTube is relatively free from deliberation and sanctions, human rights and gender sensibilities are often damaged, but the problem is that everything is illegal. He said, “By turning it into entertainment, it desensitizes awareness of the problem.”
Deepfake, illegal filming... Find the face of the ‘digital violence industry’
Lee Yoo-jin, Hankyoreh 21, 24.06.21
The venue heated up with presentations and discussions on the dynamics of feminism and backlash over the past 10 years. “This year, which marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Women’s Association, marks the 10th anniversary of the declaration that feminism was rebooted,” said Kim Mi-hyeon, a writer for the feminist research webzine <Forward> (Fwd) and a Ph.D. graduate from Ewha Womans University. Feminists were divided into two groups: ‘radical feminism’ (Korean style) and ‘intersectional feminism’ (which thinks about the intersectional relationship of oppression). On the other hand, a sense of crisis over the ‘feminist backlash’ emerged, and starting with the abolition of the Women’s Student Council, voices pointing out the ‘radicality’ and ‘misogyny’ of feminism also increased.” Researcher Kim said, “In order to go beyond ‘lifestyle feminism’ that simply consumes feminist identity and signifiers, feminism has no choice but to become long, boring, and heavy,” and suggested that we take the difficult path, even if it is difficult.
Oh Hye-min, a lecturer at the Institute of Art and Gender at the Korea National University of Arts, who attempted a diachronic analysis of the Korean Women's Studies journal <Korean Women's Studies> from 1984 to 2023, said, “After the so-called 'feminist reboot' in 2015-2016, women's studies research focused on young women. “This is the time in history when the tendency to call out women as a group was most actively observed,” he said. “Among the 245 women’s studies papers published from 2016 to 2023, 55 papers dealt directly with female youth, and many of the uncounted papers also featured women-related studies. “It was produced by a young person,” he said, explaining his struggles so far. Instructor Oh said, “After the ‘feminist reboot,’ young people were frustrated while demonstrating the ‘can do anything’ lifestyle within the neoliberal system, and research topics related to depression, suicide, and burnout frequently emerged.” The tasks on which the parties' research was focused were explained.
“Are sex education books illegal in a free country?” Swedish writers criticized the Korean government
Son Hyo-sook, Hankook Ilbo, 24.06.24
When the Publication Ethics Committee under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism designated the Swedish youth sex education book ‘First of all, we will teach sex education’ as a ‘publication harmful to youth,’ Swedish authors issued a statement demanding that the designation be withdrawn.
On the 20th, the Swedish Writers' Union announced its position opposing the Committee on Sexual Affairs' decision on 'For now, let's teach sex education (original title: Respect)' written by a sex education expert recognized by the Swedish government. The Swedish Writers' Union, launched in 1893, is the largest writer's organization in Sweden with 3,400 Swedish writers. (syncopation)
The Swedish Writers' Union said, "We cannot help but be surprised (by the Korean government's decision)," and criticized, "Our firm position is that publishing should be free, and banning books does not conform to the principles of a free and democratic society like Korea." . He also pointed out, “The right of young people to read books independently and obtain information on their own is very important for young people to grow into strong democratic citizens.”
The Writers' Union said, "Comprehensive sex education is not harmful to young people, and the World Health Organization's (WTO) position is that sex education brings a variety of positive health outcomes," adding, "Young people need to learn more about their sexuality, sexual health, and sexual rights." “When you are well informed, you are more likely to delay the initiation of sexual activity and practice safer and more respectful sex,” he emphasized.
The meaning of ‘contribution to housework’ seen through Choi Tae-won and Noh So-young’s divorce lawsuit
Yoo Sun-hee, Kyunghyang Shinmun, 24.06.05
The property division system emerged when the Civil Code was revised in January 1990. Until now, property was presumed to be mainly owned by men, and the prevailing view was that the formation of property by female spouses was unusual. The law was revised as the need to guarantee the rights of female spouses, who are often socially and economically disadvantaged compared to their male spouses, was raised. It was a device to compensate for economic independence or actual inequality between couples.
Although a property division system was established, debate continued over the scope and target of contributions to property formation and maintenance. This is because overseas, the law sets the ratio of property division based on equity, but in Korea, the ratio, scope, and target of property division are not clearly defined by law. Ultimately, a standard was formed as court interpretations and precedents regarding property contribution accumulated in each individual divorce case.
‘Unique property’ has made this debate more complicated. Civil law defines unique property as “the unique property that one of the couples had before marriage and property acquired in her own name during the marriage.” Representative examples include stocks and real estate gifted from parents before marriage. Because unique property is property acquired before marriage, it is not included in property division in divorce proceedings unless the spouse contributes after marriage. (syncopation)
The court ruled that ‘Director Noh was in charge of housework and childcare during the marriage,’ ‘Chairman Choi’s management activities during that time contributed to the increase in the value of SK stock,’ and ‘After Director Roh became the director of the Walkerhill Museum of Art under the SK Group, the museum’s successor, Art Museum. He said that the fact that he served as director of the Center Nabi should be taken into consideration. The court said, “It can be assessed that Director Roh served as a substitute or complement to Chairman Choi in certain areas, including family relationships, through housework, childcare, and external activities in certain areas,” and added, “As a result, Chairman Choi’s management activities and “It is reasonable to say that it contributed to maintaining and increasing the value of SK stock.” (syncopation)
Seo Hye-jin, attorney representing The Lighthouse Law Office, said, “This ruling is not an unconventional result, but rather a property division ruling that applies legal principles as they are.” She added, “If housework was limited to household tasks in the past, recently it means contributing to housework in general.” “The direct and indirect contribution to ‘housework’ should be broadly recognized,” he said.
‘Pain Buster’, which reduces childbirth pain, is now “100% borne by patients”
Kim Hye-sun, Edaily, 24.06.21
Previously, the Ministry of Health and Welfare issued an administrative notice on the 3rd to 10th of last month that it would partially revise the ‘details of application standards and methods of nursing care benefits’ and announced that it would take effect from July. This guideline included provisions prohibiting the combined use of painkilling injections and local anesthetic administration methods called ‘Painbusters’ when giving birth through cesarean section, etc., which caused a huge backlash, especially among pregnant women. It also included raising the out-of-pocket rate for Painbuster from the current 80% to 90%.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Health and Welfare issued an explanatory document on the 11th and took a step back, saying, “The original administrative proposal called for only one type (of the pain-free injection and Painbuster) to be administered, but we will consider allowing both types to be administered, but at the patient’s own expense.” Afterwards, after review by experts, the combined use of pain-free injection and painbuster was continued as is, but the patient burden was increased from 80% to 100%.
Meanwhile, there is continued criticism from the pregnant women community about the increasing burden on patients. At a parenting cafe, reactions such as “I’m scheduled to give birth in July, so I wonder why now,” “I’m angry that they increased the number at 100% of my own expense,” and “They say the low birth rate is serious, but they can’t do anything to improve it... it’s annoying.” It seemed.
Kookmin University and Jangan University are preparing to establish Korea’s first ‘university’ women’s baseball team
Hwang Hye-jeong, Sports Seoul, 24.06.24
According to the baseball world, Kookmin University and Jangan University are preparing to found a women's baseball team. In the case of Kookmin University, it is operated in the form of a ‘credit bank system’. Kookmin University is already accepting applications for the women’s baseball team.
In a phone call with Sports Seoul on the 23rd, Professor Seok-won Yang, who is in charge of the operation of the women's baseball team at Kookmin University, said, "Except for the women's baseball club, there is no official women's baseball team in domestic universities. He explained, “I was wondering what it would be like to found a women’s baseball team like the men’s elite college baseball team, so I submitted a proposal to the school, and a TO was submitted to the school’s Lifelong Education Center (credit bank system).”
Unlike the social women's baseball team, which trains only on weekends, the Kookmin University women's baseball team, which trains from weekday mornings, can be registered with the Women's Baseball Association of Korea (WBAK) if more than 15 players are recruited. Professor Yang said, “I think there will be about 5 to 6 people who are currently showing interest. “The goal is to recruit people during the remaining period and play in the women’s baseball social league next year.” Kookmin University appointed coach Kim Ik, who was already an elite baseball player, as the first head coach of the women's baseball team.
On the 20th, Jangan University signed an agreement with the Korea Women's Baseball League regarding the creation of a women's baseball team. Jangan University is also recruiting students this year with the goal of participating in the Women's Baseball Social League next year.
What does Kang Ju-ryong mean to feminists of this era?
Young-eun, feminist journal Ilda, 24.06.18
“Because I like you. “I hope you live in an independent country.”
“Why didn’t I know that participating in the strike with all my heart and soul was the way for Sam-i, the way for Ok-i, and the way for myself?” -From 『Standing Girl Kang Ju-ryong』
Kang Ju-ryong found the reason for the fight by her side. In the lives of his comrades who struggle alongside him. He has a very clear reason to keep fighting until he wins. Because it is connected.
I really like the slogans ‘We are each other’s courage’ and ‘We are connected.’ In a society where it is difficult to feel that we are not alone and that we are together, we strive to feel ‘together.’ It is not easy to decide to continue fighting for equality, justice, and the restoration of community in a university where individuals are scattered and talking about their own lives. Is there anything more abstract in today's society than being together? Nevertheless, we talk about gathering ‘together’ at university to solve the problem. This is because I believe that it is a powerful way to move toward the society we want to change.
We, I will continue to fight. Because we too have a very clear reason to fight until the end.
“Even if you bounce off the path set by the world, life goes on”
Jo Jong-yeop, Donga Ilbo, 24.05.31
The same was true for writer Hwang Bo-reum (44) in her 20s. But he turned a common tragedy into rare hope. At the age of 30, he quit a large company he had worked for for 7 years and found what he really wanted to do after 10 years of grinding. The novel ‘Welcome, Hunam-dong Bookstore’ (Clayhouse), which he published in 2022, sold 300,000 copies in Korea alone, and last month, it won first place (translation category) in the Japanese Bookstore Awards voted on by bookstore employees. A reader from Brazil, on the other side of the world, sent an enthusiastic book review, saying, ‘I was deeply depressed, but I received great comfort,’ and ‘I will use the sentences in the book as a guide to my life.’ (syncopation)
He did not intend to write from the beginning. He attended a language school in Gangnam, Seoul, and tried working as an instructor for about a year starting around 2012. Then he realized that what he wanted to do was write. Since he was young, he loved reading books. He sent the manuscript for two books to several publishers, but only received a rejection email. I managed to publish my first essay, ‘I Will Read Every Day’ (Some Book), in 2017, but the first printing was not even completed. Afterwards, I published two more essays, including ‘Kickboxing for the first time in my life’ (Tiramisu The Book) and ‘This distance is just right’ (Unexpected), but there was no response.
Still, he kept trying. It was a simple life of writing in my room. It is said that he was relaxed even though he had no reason to be trusted. “I didn’t look far into the future. In May, I thought, ‘I can survive until December.’ “He had no clear plans or hopes, but he just liked life.” His parents were very supportive of writer Hwang. “After turning 30 and locking myself in my room for several years to become a writer, I thought, ‘Sari could come out of Mom and Dad’s bodies.’ “But he felt that I was unhappy at work.”
When he turned 41, he had no choice but to acknowledge the reality that ‘he was a writer on the outside, but an unemployed person on the inside.’ I decided to accept ‘the impossibility of making a living through writing.’ In early 2021, I got a job at the company again through the introduction of a senior.
But his life presents gifts in unexpected ways. In 2018, I published a series on the writing platform Brunch at ‘Hunam-dong Bookstore’ with the thought, ‘I have time, but essay writing is difficult, so let’s escape with a novel, even if only for a few months.’ After thinking that he had already reached the end of his career as a full-time writer, he submitted this novel to an e-book publishing contest without any expectations. The winning novel was published as an e-book by ‘Millie’s Library’ and finally made its way into the world.
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