It was late at night, and Darim’s animation studio had recently completed creating a new appearance for a character in one of South Korea’s top video games, MapleStory.
Darim took pride in her work. Thus, while seated by herself on the floor of her tiny studio apartment, she shared the trailer on social media. Just moments later, she received a torrent of hateful messages, featuring threats of death and sexual violence.
Young male gamers raised concerns about a particular frame in the trailer, where the female character was shown holding her thumb and forefinger nearly touching.
They believed it was similar to a hand sign employed by a radical online feminist group nearly ten years ago to mock the size of Korean men’s genitalia.
“There were offensive words I had never encountered, they were vile and cruel,” remarked Darim, which is not her actual name. One statement read: “You’ve just undermined your position.”
Messages soon flooded Darim’s studio, with the game developer asserting she was a feminist and calls for her dismissal. The company removed the promotional video within hours.
Darim had turned into the most recent target in a series of brutal online witch hunts, where men in South Korea assault women they believe hold feminist beliefs. They assault them with insults and attempt to have them dismissed.
This is a segment of an increasing opposition to feminism, where feminists are labeled as man-haters who warrant punishment. The witch hunts create a stifling atmosphere for women, leading many to fear expressing their feminist beliefs.
This is driving the activity underground in a nation where gender inequality remains firmly rooted. South Korea possesses the widest gender pay disparity among OECD nations, which is a collection of the world’s affluent countries.
The hunts are frequently initiated by young male gamers, focusing on women employed in the industry, such as Darim, though they have recently expanded to include various professions.
They search for anything akin to what they call the ‘finger-pinching gesture’ and utilize it as evidence that women who dislike men are secretly ridiculing them.
As soon as they notice what they believe to be a sign, the search starts. “They conclude that a sinister, wicked feminist is concealed within the company, and her existence should be obliterated,” stated Minsung Kim, a 22-year-old male gamer who, alarmed by these witch hunts, established a group to aid the victims.
The witch hunters pursue all female staff members at the targeted company, scouring their social media profiles for any signs of feminism. Long ago in Darim’s timeline, they discovered an ‘offending’ post.
In reality, Darim was not involved in the controversial aspect of the animation, yet her studio was shaken by the wave of criticism – particularly after Nexon, the gaming firm, abruptly took down all the studio’s artwork from their lineup and apologized to clients.
“My firm and its CEO were in a state of panic,” stated Darim. “I believed I would be let go and that I wouldn’t have the chance to work in animation anymore.”
Then Minsung’s group intervened. They encouraged her studio to disregard the gamers and proposed to cover Darim’s legal expenses so she could file a report on the abuse. “We stated these demands will never cease; you have to address this issue immediately,” he remarked. The studio paid attention, and Darim retained her position.
However, comparable witch hunts have been effective in the gaming sector and other areas, and their occurrence is increasing. In one instance, a young illustrator was fired after a group of dissatisfied gamers invaded the company’s office calling for her dismissal.
And it isn’t only Korean firms that have surrendered. Last year, the global automobile manufacturer Renault suspended a female staff member after she was alleged to have made a finger-pinching gesture during a promotional presentation while using her hands.
“These anti-feminists are becoming better organised; their strategies are becoming more detailed,” stated Minsung. “By transforming a common hand gesture into a scarlet letter, they can label anyone as an evil feminist,” he stated.
He stated that the instigators of these hunts have gained confidence since the companies are yielding to these unfounded allegations. “They now have confidence that accusing someone of feminism can destroy their career.”
Minsung understands, as he was one of these men not long ago. He used to be part of the anti-feminist forums. “We encounter the uncensored internet at an astonishingly young age,” he stated, having joined the forums when he was nine.
It was only after Minsung exchanged video games for engaging in real-life games, such as Dungeons and Dragons, that he encountered women, and his perspectives changed. He termed himself an “enthusiastic feminist”.
In South Korea, women frequently experience discrimination and misogyny in both their workplaces and their households. However, as they have struggled to advance their rights, numerous young men have begun to feel that they are the ones facing discrimination.
The backlash started in the mid-2010s, in response to a rise in feminist activism. At this period, women demonstrated in the streets against sexual violence and the prevalent use of concealed cameras that secretly record women in restrooms and changing areas—approximately 5,000 to 6,000 incidents are reported each year.
“Myungji Yang, a sociology professor at the University of Hawai’i Manoa, stated that young men felt threatened by the vocal emergence of women after interviewing numerous young Korean men.” “They acquire knowledge about feminism through internet forums that present the most extreme portrayal of feminists,” she stated. “This has provided them with a warped perception of feminism.”
A complaint they have is the 18-month military duty that men are required to fulfill. After departing from the military, they frequently “believe they deserve” a decent job, stated Hyun Mee Kim, a cultural anthropology professor at Yonsei University in Seoul, who researches feminism.
As an increasing number of women join the workforce and employment becomes more competitive, certain men believe their chances are being unjustly diminished.
These sentiments have been confirmed by South Korea’s now discredited and suspended President, Yoon Suk Yeol, who ascended to power in 2022 on an anti-feminist agenda, asserting that gender discrimination was obsolete, and has since attempted to abolish the government’s gender equality ministry.
Even more astonishing than these opinions is the fact that the individuals who possess them wield significant influence over large corporations.
I went to Pangyo, South Korea’s Silicon Valley, to meet a woman who has been in the gaming industry for two decades. Following Darim’s situation, her company began modifying all its games by erasing fingers from characters’ hands and making them into fists to prevent complaints.
“It’s tiring and irritating” to operate this way, she stated, requesting to remain unnamed. “The notion that a hand gesture could be perceived as an aggression towards men is ridiculous, and businesses ought to dismiss it.”
When I inquired about their absence, she explained that numerous developers hold the same anti-feminist opinions as the gamers. “Amid the shouts from those outside, there are also individuals inside who think conditions are poor.”
Next, we must consider the financial expense. The men warn they will boycott the games if the companies do not take action.
“The gaming firms believe that the anti-feminists represent the biggest source of their income,” Minsung stated. Following the targeting of Darim’s company, Studio Ppuri stated it had lost almost two-thirds of its agreements with gaming firms.
Studio Ppuri did not reply to our inquiries, but both Nexon, the game developer, and Renault Korea stated that they oppose all kinds of discrimination and bias.
There are indications that the authorities are yielding to the demands of anti-feminists. When Darim informed the police about her abuse, they declined to accept her case.
They claimed that her attack made “sense” because the finger-pinching gesture was considered taboo, and she was a feminist. “I was amazed,” she remarked. “Why wouldn’t the officials safeguard me?”
After backlash from feminist groups, the police reversed their stance and are currently conducting an investigation. In a statement, police from Seocho district informed the BBC that their first choice to shut the case was “inadequate” and they were “doing everything possible to locate the suspects.”
The situation left Darim’s attorney, Yu-kyung Beom, speechless. “To claim you’re a feminist in South Korea, you need to be either extremely courageous or a little crazy,” she stated.
In November 2023, the conflict intensified and burst into the real world. Late at night, a young woman, referred to as Jigu, was working alone in a convenience store when a man entered and began to assault her.
He asked, “Hey, you’re a feminist, aren’t you?” “You resemble a feminist with that short hair of yours,” Jigu said as she nervously recalled the evening. The man shoved her to the floor and began to kick her. “I continuously drifted in and out of awareness.” “I believed I might not survive.”
Jigu did not view herself as a feminist. She simply preferred short hair and believed it looked good on her. The assault has resulted in lasting injuries for her. Her left ear is impaired, and she uses a hearing aid.
“I feel as though I’ve turned into an entirely different individual,” she stated. “I don’t grin as often.” At times, it feels like a torment merely to exist; the recollection of that day remains vivid.
Her attacker was sentenced to three years in prison, and for the first time, a South Korean court determined that this was a crime driven by misogyny: essentially, that Jigu was assaulted for appearing to be a feminist.
In the course of the assault, the man stated that he was part of a radical anti-feminist organization called New Men’s Solidarity. Its chief, In-kyu Bae, has urged men to challenge feminists. One evening, while he was hosting a live-streaming event in Gangnam, a vibrant area in Seoul, I attempted to speak with him.
“I’m here to inform you that these feminists are tarnishing the nation with animosity,” he yelled from atop a dark van equipped with speakers.
“The individual who assaulted Jigu was not part of our group.” “We aren’t a membership organization; we are a YouTube channel,” he said while broadcasting live to thousands of followers. A tiny crowd of young men who attended to observe were applauding enthusiastically.
“We have never advocated for anyone to engage in violence.” Actually, the aggressive ones are the feminist organizations. “They’re embarrassing men’s private parts,” he added.
Last year, Mr. Bae and a number of his backers were found guilty of defaming and insulting a feminist activist following over two years of harassment.
Anti-feminist sentiments have gained such prevalence that Yuri Kim, the head of Korea Women’s Trade Union, recently formed a committee to monitor instances of what she terms “feminism censorship.” She discovered that certain women have been asked about their views on feminism during job interviews, whereas, in the workplace, women frequently encounter remarks such as “all feminists need to die.”
Prof Kim, the feminist scholar, states that men are currently leveraging feminist threats in the workplace to intimidate and dominate their female coworkers – it’s their method of communicating ‘we are monitoring you; you ought to conduct yourself properly’.
This kind of harassment is showing results. The previous year, two researchers introduced the term “quiet feminism” to depict the effects of what they describe as a “widespread daily backlash”.
Gowoon Jung and Minyoung Moon discovered that even though women possessed feminist beliefs, they did not feel secure sharing them openly. Women I talked to expressed fear of cutting their hair short, while others mentioned that feminism had become so linked with animosity towards men that they no longer connected with the movement.
A 2024 IPSOS survey across 31 nations revealed that just 24% of women in South Korea identified as feminists, whereas the global average stood at 45%, down from 33% in 2019.
Professor Kim is concerned that the outcomes will be serious. She argues that by having to hide their feminist beliefs, women are losing their power to combat gender inequality that affects workplaces, politics, and public life.
Feminists are currently engaged in generating ideas to stop the witch hunts. A distinct response is legislative alteration. In South Korea, there is no comprehensive anti-discrimination law that safeguards women or prevents them from being terminated because of their opinions.
It has faced ongoing obstruction from politicians, mainly due to its support for gay and transgender individuals, with anti-feminists and even some feminists who exclude trans people now campaigning against it.
Minsung thinks that the only method to deprive the witch hunters of their abilities is for the firms and the officials to confront them. He argues that they represent a minor portion of men in South Korea, yet they possess loud voices and an unusually large impact.
Following her assault, Jigu now confidently identifies as a feminist. “I wish to connect with other victims similar to myself, and if just one woman has the courage to take my hand, I am eager to assist.”
