[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seoyoung] Yang Junwoo, spokesperson for the People Power Party, spoke out regarding the feminism controversy surrounding the hairstyle of An San (20), who won three gold medals in archery at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, sparking multiple rebuttals.
On the 30th, Spokesperson Yang posted on his Facebook titled "An San, who shone on her own, and those eagerly hooking onto her." Yang stated, "An's brilliant achievements and sweat deserve respect," but also noted, "The core of this controversy lies in the 'use of misandrist terms' and criticism of radical feminism."
Yang argued, "Equating this controversy to an attack on all women or 'misogyny' corresponds to the sanctification that radical feminists have enjoyed so far." He added, "Before calling criticism of radical feminism misogyny, those who claim to be women’s activists should first harshly criticize the 'mural controversy,' shouldn't they?" calling this a "selective hook."
However, Yang’s post was criticized as it could be interpreted that the controversy was self-inflicted by An San’s social media posts. Jang Hye-young, a member of the Justice Party, stated on her Facebook today (31st), "Yang’s perception of this incident is very concerning," and pointed out, "He is blaming the athlete by saying it’s because An used 'misandrist words,' shifting the cause of violence onto her."
Jang emphasized, "The core of this incident is the online violence disguised as feminism inflicted on a young female Olympic medalist," and rebutted, "In a democratic society, no one has the right to arbitrarily wield the word 'feminism' to censor and stigmatize fellow female citizens." She also sarcastically commented on Yang’s 'selective hook,' saying, "I thought the People Power Party spokesperson was supposed to set the priority of commentary for women’s activists."
Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon also responded. On the same day, Jin said on Facebook, "So the main point is that the fault was originally with An, and we should understand the true intentions of the men attacking 'misogyny'?"
He questioned, "Is this something that should come from a spokesperson of a ruling party?" and criticized, "After this was reported in foreign media and brought shame to the country, the spokesperson of the ruling party is defending that behavior," adding, "Those who use misogyny as political nourishment should at least be expelled from the public sphere."
Meanwhile, Yang himself posted again on his Facebook the same day, rebutting, "How can my post be read as blaming An? It’s problematic to only see what you want to see intentionally." He continued, "What I am talking about is the criticism of some politicians who selectively pick only the 'short haircut' aspect from the origin of this issue and equate it to hatred against women," adding, "Those who are hooking now have greatly contributed to the deepening gender conflict to this extent."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
