Posted by Korea Femicide Protest
The first Protest Against Femicide was successfully held in Seoul, South Korea on DECEMBER 28, 2019. Over 2,000 individual women gathered to take a stand against femicide and violence against women. It was the very first protest that defined the term femicide held in South Korea as well as in all of Asia.
The protest was sparked by the recent suicides of famous K-pop stars Sulli and Goo Hara; the suicides were induced by misogyny and patriarchy, and were in fact patriarchal murders.
The protest against femicide was sparked by the recent suicides of famous K-pop stars Sulli and Goo Hara; the suicides were induced by misogyny and patriarchy, and were in fact patriarchal murders. Constant online sexual harassment and cyber-bullying tormented Sulli for not wearing a bra in public and dating a male celebrity. Appalling comments continue online even after her suicide. Choi Jongbum, Goo’s then ex-boyfriend, physically assaulted and threatened Goo with a sex tape he had recorded without her knowing. The trial is still in process; in the first trial, he was only sentenced with 18 months of jail time and three years of probation period, which he responded by filing an appeal. He was only found guilty for the charges against assault, blackmail and property damage, and was found not guilty for the charge against sexual assault. Sulli and Goo had fame and money; but as South Korean women, they were made victims of sexual harassment, illegal filming and distribution, and in the end, femicide.
The protest against femicide had two parts; the first part began with rants and chants; the second part was consisted of different performances. The participants wore white masks and held up their hands painted with red paint – symbolizing endless number of lost women and their blood. One participant sang a song “A New Life” from the musical “Jekyll and Hyde,” a song sung by a femicide victim Lucy. For the last third performance, one participant read the manifesto while the rest participants held up their red-painted hands and signs with numbers that represented the number of victims per different femicide crime. The participants also dressed in black to mourn all women murdered and killed.
Also read: Why We Need To Rethink Our ‘Criticism’ Of BTS And K-Pop
The protest against femicide had two parts; the first part began with rants and chants; the second part was consisted of different performances. The participants wore white masks and held up their hands painted with red paint – symbolizing endless number of lost women and their blood.
Over 360,000 women have already gathered in 2018 in South Korea to demand feasible protection and countermeasures against the epidemic of illegal filming. In return, the government cut the entire budget of 2.6 billion Korean Won – approximately 2,200,000 USD – that was proposed to delete illegally filmed footage distributed online. The government and the media also reduce the current situation with Sulli and Goo to another case with cyber-bullying and intimate partner violence; they do not address or recognize that the crimes were heavily due to misogyny and lack of both legal and social protection for women.
Also read: How K-Pop Perpetuates Double Standards For Men And Women
The participants of the protest against femicide denounced the government and the society for ultimately encouraging violence against women by deliberately choosing to ignore issues regarding rampant crimes against women. They hope to ensure their basic human rights, as guaranteed by the constitution, and to live. The second protest is to be scheduled.
