S Korean Court Recognises Misogyny As Hate Crime Motive

A South Korean court has recognised misogyny as a motive for a hate crime, its spokesperson told AFP Thursday, a decision activists hailed as a breakthrough for women's rights.

The ruling was made in connection to a case where a convenience store worker was attacked by a man shouting "feminists deserve to be beaten" because she had short hair.

The Changwon District Court on Tuesday upheld the assailant's three-year jail term -- and added a clause in its ruling that explicitly stated the crime was motivated by misogyny.

The assailant, who was in his 20s, committed the crime "based on unfounded hatred and prejudice against women, which constitutes a condemnable motive for the offence," the court ruled, a spokesperson told AFP Thursday.

The verdict cannot be appealed, he added.

The victim lost hearing in her left ear after the attack and has been unemployed, according to activists supporting her.

The victim's lawyer welcomed the decision, saying it paved the way for a safer country for women.

"So far, I personally have not seen cases where the court has explicitly identified misogyny as a condemnable motive for a crime," Lee Gyeong-ha, the victim's lawyer, told AFP.

"Many perpetrators claim, 'I don't hate women; I just hate feminists'.

"This ruling is significant because it clarifies saying things like "feminists deserve to be beaten" is also rooted in misogyny."

While South Korea is a leading technological power and major pop culture exporter, it remains a socially conservative society with a poor record on women's rights.

The country is currently grappling with a deepfake porn crisis, with the vast majority of the victims being young girls.

Before being elected, President Yoon Suk Yeol claimed South Korean women did not suffer from "systemic gender discrimination", despite gaps in wages and workforce participation.

He won office in 2022 in part on a campaign pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality.

During the Tokyo Games in 2021, triple Olympic champion An San was bullied online and offline for having short hair -- which was taken to mean she was a feminist. Some detractors went so far as to demand she hand back her medals and apologise.

Women's activists in South Gyeongsang Province, where the crime occurred, described Tuesday's ruling as a "historic moment."

"Misogynistic crimes that have not been adequately punished in court have reinforced gender stereotypes, hindered gender equality," Lee Gyeong-ork of the Gyeongnam Women's Association told AFP.

But Tuesday's ruling "has established a framework for legally punishing misogynistic criminals", she added.