Crossing Continents
Crossing Continents
BBC Radio 4
South Korea: The Feminist Hunters
30 minutes Posted Jan 7, 2025 at 9:00 pm.
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Show notes

Why feminism has become a dirty word in South Korea. Being a feminist is now something that can only be admitted in private, thanks to a fierce backlash against feminism. Anti-feminists accuse South Korean women who advocate for equality as being man-haters, worthy of punishment. Online witch-hunts - spearheaded by young male gamers - target women suspected of harbouring feminist views, bombarding them with abuse and demanding they be fired from their jobs. Jean Mackenzie investigates how these witch-hunts have silenced women, and asks what this means for the future of women's rights in a country where gender discrimination is still deeply entrenched.

Presenter: Jean Mackenzie

Producers: John Murphy, Jake Kwon, Hosu Lee and Leehyun Choi
Mixed by: Neil Churchill
Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy