Male says "I was influenced because my friends are feminists... Among my friends, some have short haircuts"
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Jin Joong-kwon, former professor at Dongyang University, who has been vocal about 'gender conflict' issues, shared the story of a couple who broke up after arguing over the controversy surrounding athlete Ansan.
On the 11th, Jin posted on his social media (SNS) without any special explanation a story that a woman had posted on an online community titled "Broke up with a Hannam (a derogatory term for Korean men)."
According to the story, the boyfriend said, "(Ansan winning the gold medal) is something to be proud of, but I think we need to properly verify such matters and move on."
In response, the girlfriend said, "I didn't know you were someone who thinks like this," and asked, "You’re not active on male-dominated sites, are you?" When the boyfriend asked, "What do you mean by 'this kind of thinking'?" the girlfriend replied, "It's outdated, seriously, it’s kind of off-putting."
Later, when the boyfriend said, "Aren't you the one doing feminist activities?" the girlfriend retorted, "What is feminism?" and added, "Is saying 'ung-eung-ung' feminism? When I talk with you on KakaoTalk, I use words like 'ung-eung-ung' and 'o-jo-o-eok' a lot. If that’s feminism, then I’m a feminist."
In response, the boyfriend explained, "It’s not that you’re a feminist. It’s just that your friends are feminists, so you’ve been influenced. Looking at your friends, some have short haircuts, and many post such things on their Instagram stories."
After sharing this KakaoTalk conversation, the girlfriend wrote, "I ended up breaking up with my boyfriend," and added, "It’s a waste of time to have dated such a Hannam for three months."
An San, who won the archery triple crown, is holding up her gold medal after the medal ceremony for the women's individual archery event at the Tokyo Olympics, held on the 30th of last month at the Yumenoshima Park Archery Field in Japan. /Photo by Yonhap News
Earlier, when Ansan won consecutive gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and attracted media attention, an unexpected feminism controversy arose in some online communities. This was because Ansan’s hairstyle was a so-called 'short cut,' and she was accused of using words that could be interpreted as 'misandry' in the past.
The controversy did not remain online but spread to the political arena. On the 30th of last month, Yang Jun-woo, spokesperson for the People Power Party, claimed in a post on his Facebook, "The core of the controversy lies in the 'use of misandry terms' and 'radical feminism.'"
In response, the Justice Party argued, "They even blamed Ansan for cyberbullying by saying the problem was the use of words labeled as 'misandry,'" and demanded disciplinary action against spokesperson Yang.
Former professor Jin Joong-kwon raised his voice, saying, "Is it the power of the phallus, not the People Power Party?" and called it "an absurd situation where a spokesperson of a political party defends and excuses those who commit violence against women."
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