Gender conflict and new 'scarlet letter' ails South Korea

'Yeohyeom' and 'namhyeom' prevalent in the country; any association with radical gender-based hate groups enough to stain one’s reputation

Last week, a controversy broke out when a female illustrator for South Korean mobile game called Limbus Company was fired over her alleged allegiance to a radical feminist website. It was found that she had retweeted tweets using derogatory terms for men -- typically used by the said website -- on her social media page before she joined the company.

Youth groups and workers’ unions across the country fired complaints, including the Korean Women’s Trade Union, which urged the government and the video game industry to protect female creators from what they called an “ideological litmus test” on their views on gender.

The incident showcased how even the slightest hints of association with radical feminism can spark a severe backlash from the male population – particularly online.

Some male netizens’ caustic aversion to radical feminist groups– such as the now-defunct Megalia and Womad – is clearly reflected in online forums with mostly male members, particularly the notorious website Ilgan Best, or Ilbe, at the forefront.

Both groups openly express their disparagement of the opposite sex, using derogatory terms that have been dubbed “yeohyeom (hatred toward women)” and “namhyeom (hatred toward men).”

(123rf)

The barrage of accusations and disputes that followed the controversial firing highlighted the severe gender conflict prevalent in Korea, especially among younger people. According to Global Research’s 2021 survey on 1,000 Koreans between the ages of 18 to 39, 88.6 percent of the respondents thought gender conflict in the country was a serious issue.

It appeared, however, that men and women had differing opinions on who is the bigger victim.

When asked whether misandry was a severe issue, 85.7 percent of the male respondents said it was, while 64.7 percent of the female respondents thought so. But when asked if misogyny was a severe issue, 85.5 percent of the women said it was, while 64.5 percent of the men thought so.

In short, both men and women agree that gender conflict is a grave issue that needs to be dealt with, but disagree on who is more accountable.

Over the years, the conflict has cost several people their jobs, social status and reputation, indicating that being associated with yeohyeom or namhyeom has become one of the strongest scarlet letters in Korean society.

Extremist websites and their bad name

The Limbus Company incident was not the first case of a person losing a job over his or her alleged association with a radical group. In 2021, a professional video game team called T1 terminated its contract with its member Kim Dae-yeong, after he was found to have used expressions and photos associated with Ilbe.

As in case of Limbus, it hasn't been verified whether Kim had ever actually been an Ilbe member, as he denied it in his official apology. But in both cases, the indictment without confirmation sufficed for reaching a verdict in the court of public opinion.

In Korea, the term feminism is commonly used to refer to radical feminism. Womad, one of the biggest online communities for radical feminists in Korea, states in its mission that its purpose is female superiority and misandry.

Kim Young-ran, a former Supreme Court justice, said in a past interview with local media that while she understands the women’s frustration of being discriminated, such lashing out is not something that should be encouraged.

“The feeling of hatred is bad in itself, and I am doubtful how much the so-called ‘mirror theory’ that copies (hatred) can help,” she said in an interview with local Kyunghyang Shinmun. “Hatred is wrong, whether it is directed to men or women. You treat the other person like a monster and refuse to confront the evil within yourself.”

A screengrab of the mobile game Limbus Company.

Ilbe has long been denounced for its unveiled misogyny and belittlement of women. The site has also been subject to research related to rampant misogyny that has been spreading online, particularly among the younger male population who claim to be victims of discrimination due to financial expectations. They claim that the customary expectation here is that men should shoulder greater financial burdens in a relationship, regardless of their income.

“Ilbe’s overall stance is that unfair standards exist in terms of men and women’s roles in Korean society, and that they demand ‘equality and consistency.’ But their argument is incorporating a double standard,” said researchers from Ewha Womans University in the paper “Strategic Misogyny and its Contradiction: Focusing on the Analysis of the Posts on Ilbe.”

“They insist on an equal financial responsibility, but they do not view women as their equal and sexually objectify women. At the same time, they are trapped in traditional gender roles and have sexually discriminatory prejudices about women,” they wrote, pointing out that it is common for Ilbe users to distribute content that paint women as subjects of extreme violence and ridicule.

Blind hatred toward the opposite sex can sometimes get out of hand. Last month, a man in his 20s was arrested after posting online that he plans to stab 20 women to death at Sillim Station in Seoul’s Sillim-dong. He told police that he wrote the post because he was “furious that only men were targeted” during the July 21 stabbing that took place at the same station.

Last year, a woman was killed at Sindang Station on Seoul Metro's Line No. 6 by a former colleague, who was being tried for stalking her, leading to a controversy between lawmakers and experts about whether it was a crime sparked by misogyny.

A 21-year-old college student surnamed Choi said that incidents like the Sindang murder makes her want to live only among women. “It appears that men fundamentally lack compassion and empathy toward other people,” she said.

Accusations lead to cancellation, lasting scars

While not many would be against berating these radical communities, such cases of violence and surveys indicate that the feeling of contempt is spreading among the general public as well, leading to gender conflict that goes beyond extremist websites.

As in the cases of the video game industry, there have been repeated cases of online communities jumping to conclusions once they have decided that an individual or a company has shown indications of being associated with radical feminism or misogyny.

A child pays tribute to the victim of Sillim Station, at a makeshift altar in Sillim-dong, southern Seoul in this July 25 photo. (Yonhap)

Last year, local convenience store chain GS25 was branded a namhyeom company when it revealed a promotional poster for camping showing a hand picking up a small sausage with the fingers in a pinching motion. Some claimed that this was reminiscent of a signature hand gesture used by the radical feminist community Womad to disparage Korean men.

What may have been passed over as an overreaction on the customers’ part led to a boycott by consumers that may have hurt the entire company. Some people think it may have played a role in GS Retail relinquishing its top spot in market capitalization among all convenience store brands, just weeks after the incident.

In 2019, philosophy professor Yun Ji-sun of the Catholic University of Korea was embroiled in a dispute with a YouTuber Bokyeom after she claimed in a research paper that his signature greeting “Boyroo” was a coded derogatory term for women. After years of verbal and legal confrontation, the civil case for libel led to a court ruling last year that determined the greeting did not hold any sexual connotation, and ordered Yun to pay the YouTuber financial compensation of 50 million won ($38,430).

The verdict was upheld in a higher court ruling earlier this year and confirmed when Yun decided not to appeal in March. The controversial paper was degraded to a non-official paper in the Journal of the Society of Philosophical Studies, where it was originally published.

While triumphant in court, the popular YouTuber of over 3.2 million subscribers has yet to make a return. He said being labeled as a misogynist made him fearful of being recognized by people, and that he received plastic surgery so that people would no longer recognize him.

Bogyeom has not posted a video since one uploaded nine months ago, and has not shown his face since the surgery two years ago. Yun is currently teaching at Sejong University.

The number of gender-related incidents show that being labeled as a misandrist or misogynist can inflict substantial damage in South Korea. While the public is often quick to jump to conclusions, even the wrongfully accused rarely walk away clean, and are often burdened with lasting scars.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)