Attack on “feminist” because of short hairstyle recognized as first misogynistic crime

By KTimes

A 24-year-old man who attacked a supermarket clerk in the southeastern city of Jinju last year and called her a “feminist” because of her short hair was sentenced to three years in prison on appeal.

The court recognized the attack as a “misogynistic crime,” marking the first time in South Korea that misogyny was recognized as a motive in a criminal verdict. The victim, who lost his hearing as a result of the attack, said he was relieved at the “significant verdict”.

The Criminal Division of the Changwon District Court on Wednesday confirmed the original three-year prison sentence for the 24-year-old attacker, citing “baseless hatred of women” as the motive for the crime.

The incident occurred in April last year when the 24-year-old attacked a part-time worker at a supermarket in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, over her short hairstyle and called her a “feminist.”

He also attacked a 50-year-old customer who tried to intervene. The victim permanently lost hearing in one ear and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the attack. The 50-year-old client suffered fractures and struggled financially after losing his job due to the injuries.

The lower court initially accepted the 24-year-old’s claim that he was in a diminished mental state due to bipolar disorder and sentenced him to three years in prison, without recognizing misogyny as a motive.

However, the court explicitly cited misogyny as a motive in the appeal and criticized the fact that the 24-year-old perpetrator had shown no real remorse despite submitting several letters of apology.

Women’s rights groups welcomed the court’s recognition of misogyny as a criminal motive, calling it progress, but expressed disappointment that the court still recognized the mental health defense.

Lawyer Lee Kyung-ha, representing the victim, said: “It is significant that the court clearly recognized that the defendant’s actions were motivated by misogyny, particularly the belief that ‘feminist women deserve to be beaten.’ ‘.”

The victim also shared his thoughts on his “I have received from everyone since the incident.” became known throughout the appeal process.”

Despite the ruling, South Korea still does not have a specific law mandating harsher penalties for hate crimes, unlike countries like the United States that have hate crime prevention laws.

This article from Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by a generative AI system and published by The Korea Times.