{"id":2205815,"date":"2024-07-17T14:57:41","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T05:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2205815"},"modified":"2024-07-17T18:26:45","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T09:26:45","slug":"south-korean-feminist-movement-faces-challenges-as-it-gains-global-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/07\/south-korean-feminist-movement-faces-challenges-as-it-gains-global-attention\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korean feminist movement faces challenges as it gains global attention"},"content":{"rendered":"
The <\/span>4B movement<\/span><\/a> in South Korea, a feminist action advocating a boycott of dating, marriage, childbirth and sex, faces challenges as it gains international attention, including online harassment of activists, risks of misrepresentation in media and potential political exploitation \u2014 all of which threaten to overshadow its critique of gender discrimination in South Korean society.<\/span><\/p>\n Kim Ji-yeon, a 27-year-old activist and media studies graduate student at Korea University, experienced cyberbullying in 2022 due to her involvement in the movement. Known as the \u201c4B Movement Queen,\u201d Kim engaged in extensive debates with critics for two years before ceasing her social media advocacy due to online harassment.<\/span><\/p>\n She believes that other 4B practitioners have withdrawn from online activities for similar reasons.<\/span><\/p>\n However, the movement experienced a resurgence earlier this year as it spread internationally, gaining renewed attention on social media platforms such as Twitter and TikTok. TikTok alone hosts over 10,000 videos tagged \u201c<\/span>#4bmovement<\/span><\/a>,\u201d ranging from explanatory content to terrifying personal dating experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt was fascinating to see an international audience reaching out to Korean feminists to learn about 4B,\u201d Kim told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>. \u201cIt has enabled feminists to connect across borders through shared experiences of misogyny.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n ORIGINS AND CONTEXT<\/b><\/p>\n The 4B movement emerged in South Korea between 2017 and 2018 as one of several online feminist actions in response to high-profile criminal cases that sparked nationwide debates on gender conflicts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Gong Yeon-hwa, author of a <\/span>2021 study<\/span><\/a> on 4B, notes incidents included the <\/span>2016 Gangnam Station murder<\/span><\/a>, where a man stabbed a woman in a public restroom, and the arrest of <\/span>Yang Jin-ho<\/span><\/a>, whose file-sharing platforms profited from <\/span>illegal spycam pornography<\/span><\/a>, as catalysts for the movement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lee Hyo-min, a PhD candidate at Yonsei University, connects 4B to the \u201c<\/span>Hell Joseon<\/span><\/a>\u201d sentiment prevalent among young South Koreans in the early 2010s. This concept critiqued <\/span>economic inequality<\/span><\/a> and social pressures in South Korea, spawning terms like the “Sampo Generation” to describe young people abandoning dating, marriage and child-rearing.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYoung feminists viewed 4B as the fastest and most effective way to challenge the patriarchy,\u201d Lee told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n