[Exclusive] Government Admits 'Gwaneumchung Paper = Misandry'... Takes Steps to Prevent Recurrence

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The government has confirmed that it has effectively acknowledged the so-called 'Gwaneumchung' paper, which recently sparked controversy, as 'misandry' and is taking measures to prevent recurrence.

The Korea Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST) sent an email to its members on the 5th, requesting them to be careful to ensure that academic journals do not publish defamation, dissemination of false information, or hate speech against specific groups. KOFST shared excerpts from the minutes of the National Assembly confirmation hearing for Minister of Science and ICT candidate Lim Hye-sook on the 4th of last month, which included remarks by People Power Party lawmaker Heo Eun-ah, stating, "There were issues raised in the National Assembly regarding academic journals, so we are sharing this," and emphasized, "Please be careful to prevent such cases from occurring in future academic journal support projects."

Regarding this, lawmaker Heo referred to the paper "The Embryology of Gwaneumchung" by Yoon Ji-sun, an invited professor at Sejong University, published in the academic journal Philosophical Studies issued by the Philosophy Research Association in December 2019, saying, "No matter how much one is a researcher, it is inappropriate to publish defamation, dissemination of false information, or hate speech against specific individuals in academic journals," and urged for countermeasures. Candidate Lim also responded in writing that expressions such as 'Hannam,' 'Hannamchung,' and 'Hannam yuchung' are inappropriate if used as derogatory terms for Korean men. During the hearing, she also stated she would "definitely check" in response to lawmaker Heo's request.

In this regard, government ministries including the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Education are reportedly conducting fact-finding and preparing measures to prevent recurrence. A Ministry of Science and ICT official said, "Since this concerns humanities academic journals, the Ministry of Education, which handles academic society registration and KCI paper indexing, sent an official letter through KOFST to prevent similar cases from recurring," adding, "(The Ministry of Science and ICT) is monitoring the investigation results and receiving reports."

The National Research Foundation of Korea, which is responsible for supporting the Philosophy Research Association, has also transferred complaints to Catholic University, where Professor Yoon was affiliated when the paper was published, to investigate possible ethical violations. The preliminary investigation has recently been completed, and the main investigation has begun, with results expected around mid-October. A National Research Foundation official said, "Basically, it is stipulated to use common-sense language, so there are no special regulatory provisions regarding hate speech," and added, "The preliminary investigation has been completed through the Research Ethics Investigation Headquarters of Catholic University."

Meanwhile, Professor Yoon's paper "The Embryology of Gwaneumchung" noted in a footnote that the YouTuber 'Bogyeom' created the term 'Boilu' by combining a word referring to female genitalia and the greeting 'Hailu,' stating that 'Boilu' is a 'misogynistic' term. The paper analyzed the causes of voyeurism among Korean men and digital sex crimes, using a large number of 'misandry' expressions, which sparked controversy. The argument is that Korean men, having grown up in a sexist society, become 'Gwaneumchung.'

In response, YouTuber Bogyeom denied any connection to misogyny, stating that the expression was simply a combination of his name and greeting, and announced plans to sue Professor Yoon and others for defamation. Professor Yoon and the Philosophy Research Association later amended the footnote to indicate that although the term 'Boilu' was originally created as explained by Bogyeom, it later became a misogynistic expression, but they did not apologize.

The controversy also sparked debate within the philosophy community. Professor Lee Chung-jin of Hansung University criticized the Philosophy Research Association in an early May contribution to Professor Newspaper, urging them to apologize and stating that the paper itself contains serious logical errors and is full of hate speech. Professor Lee said, "It seems the Philosophy Research Association judged that after 'modifying the footnote,' it does not defame individuals. However, it is clear that it will not appear so to the person concerned, Bogyeom," and added, "It is truly regrettable. The only thing the Philosophy Research Association can do now is to publicly apologize to Bogyeom."

Professor Lee further pointed out, "Yoon Ji-sun's paper appears to have very serious problems in this part. Regardless of her intentions, her choice of terms, premises, discussion process, and conclusions are far beyond the taboos of 'here and now' society," and noted, "'Hannam yuchung,' 'Hannamchung,' 'Korean men as Gwaneumchung' are clearly expressions of hate in the 'here and now,' and discussions using such expressions are discussions of hate."

On the other hand, Professor Yoon rejected the criticism in an early June rebuttal article to the same media, stating, "These terms are used as derogatory and insulting expressions among children in classrooms, gaming spaces, and daily life, causing sexual humiliation, disgrace, and helplessness to young girls and women," and refused to apologize again. Professor Yoon also countered the criticism of using 'misandry' terms by saying, "It is a conceptual tool for an embryological approach to how some boys and men living in Korean society grow and transform into 'Gwaneumchung' through certain mechanisms."