A South Korean court has recognized misogyny as a motive for a hate crime, its spokesperson announced to AFP on Thursday, a decision welcomed by women’s rights activists.
The verdict follows the complaint of a convenience store employee who was attacked by a man shouting “feminists deserve to be beaten” because she had short hair.
The victim lost the hearing in her left ear and has since been unemployed, according to the activists who support her.
The Changwon District Court on Tuesday sentenced the attacker to three years in prison, adding a clause explicitly stating that the crime was motivated by misogyny. The verdict cannot be appealed, the court spokesperson told AFP.
The attacker, aged around twenty, committed a crime “on the basis of unfounded hatred and prejudice against women, which constitutes a motive for the offense”, ruled the court.
The victim’s lawyer welcomed the decision, saying it paved the way for a safer country for women.
“So far, I have not personally seen any case where a court has explicitly identified misogyny as a motive for a crime,” Lee Gyeong-ha, the victim’s lawyer, told AFP.
“Many attackers claim that they do not hate women, but feminists. This decision is important because it clarifies that saying things like “feminists deserve to be beaten” is also rooted in misogyny,” said the lawyer.
Although South Korea is a leading technological power and a major exporter of pop culture, it remains a conservative society with a poor record on women’s rights.
During the 2021 Tokyo Games, three-time Olympic champion An San was bullied online and offline for having short hair, which meant she was a feminist.
Some critics went so far as to demand that she return her medals and apologize.
Feminist activists in South Gyeongsang province, where the crime took place, called the decision “historic.”
“Misogynistic crimes that have not been sufficiently punished by the courts have reinforced gender stereotypes and hindered gender equality,” Lee Gyeong-ork of the Gyeongnam Women’s Association told AFP.
But the court verdict “established a framework for legally punishing misogynist criminals,” she added.
