Welcome to Part 2 of our November 2024 Inspirational Interview with Hawon Jung of South Korea.
Hawon Jung is a journalist and author of Flowers of Fire: The Inside Story of South Korea’s Feminist Movement and What It Means for Women’s Rights Worldwide. Her coverage of South Korea’s #MeToo movement for Agence France-Presse was shortlisted in the Awards for Editorial Excellence by the Society of Publishers in Asia, and her book was chosen as one of the best books of 2023 by The Economist magazine. Her writings and commentary on women’s rights issues have been featured in the New York Times, Al Jazeera, and BBC, among others.
In this part of her interview, Hawon talks about what women worldwide can learn from South Korean feminists, how the media can improve on their reportage and coverage of violence against women, and what men and boys can do to help stop violence against women.
Part one of Hawon’s interview was published 3 November 2024.
All photos are courtesy of Hawon Jung.
5. Until recently, feminism has been seen as a predominantly Western movement with White feminists often being regarded as the default pioneers and leaders of feminism in general. However, as intersectional feminism grows in influence and the internet connects us all, the voices of women’s human rights defenders and feminists from the Global South including Asian countries are coming to the forefront. What do you think feminist activists across the world can learn from Korean feminism and feminists?
Feminists in Asia have been vigorously fighting against discrimination and violence against women, often under more challenging conditions than their Western counterparts. I thought that the stories of these Asian feminist remained relatively unknown and overlooked worldwide. This was one of the reasons why I wrote Flowers of Fire.
In South Korea, older generations of feminists are highly experienced in political activism and organisation, as many were part of pro-democracy movements in the 1980s. Through their efforts, they achieved numerous landmark legal and institutional changes to combat gender discrimination and violence. Their experiences served as a crash course for other women activists.
Meanwhile, younger generations of feminists are very tech-savvy, highly effective at organising and mobilising through the internet, and skilled at investigating and publicising digital violence. These younger feminists were often the first to discover such tech-based abuses and pushed them into the spotlight through various online campaigns.
I think that the robust history of mobilisation by the older generation of feminists and tech prowess by the younger generation of feminists can be a valuable lesson for women elsewhere.
6. The media worldwide have been criticised for either ignoring or misrepresenting stories involving violence against women (VAW). What do you think the media – including K-Media – can do to improve their approach to reporting VAW?
Again, increasing the number of women in senior positions in the news media industry is critical, considering that many journalists who have reported on VAW or challenged problematic news coverage on the issue are women. Although about 40 percent of journalists in South Korea are women, women account for less than 9 percent of executive positions in local newsrooms.
Gender equality education for journalists is also essential, including training on how to avoid news coverage that reinforces gender stereotypes, sensationalises stories of VAW, or normalises VAW. For instance, in many past news stories about VAW in South Korea, women were often highlighted under sensational, if not derogatory, news headlines as “the trunk girl” (a murder victim whose body was found in a car trunk) or “the bag girl” (a murder victim whose body was found in a bag). But such practice has become less frequent in recent years as many feminists and journalists have challenged it and the public reckoning of the #MeToo movement prompted some media outlets to roll out training for journalists on how to properly cover gender issues, including VAW.
7. What advice would you give to a rookie journalist who is keen to help create social change through reporting on issues like VAW which many cultures and communities still regard as a taboo topic or a non-issue?
Listen, report, and write with thought and care. In a place where violence against women is considered a taboo or non-issue, victims of such violence often pay a huge personal price for speaking out or publicly sharing their stories with journalists. Naturally, covering the issue takes more time, effort and energy for journalists and carries more risks for interviewees. But when done right, these stories can help make a real difference in society. So please listen to survivors attentively and try to capture their stories in ways that are not only thorough and accurate, but also respectful of both your sources and your readers. The trust and relationship I build with my interviewees this way helped me stay in touch with them for many years through the course of reporting for Agence France-Presse and later writing Flowers of Fire.
8. One of the keys to eradicating VAW is to get men and boys on board efforts to do so. What do you think are the most effective ways of galvanising men and boys in very conservative cultures such as South Korea to help end VAW?
I keep returning to the topic of proper gender education in schools and elsewhere in society. Gender stereotypes and patriarchal norms are harder to dispel later in life, and antifeminism and incel culture have become popular themes in many online spaces used by boys and young men. Schools and teachers should have the knowledge and resources to raise awareness of sexual consent, sexual harassment, sexual violence, and how to challenge stereotypical views of sex and masculinity.
Also, there should be more efforts to help men explore different ways of life beyond the toxic masculinity popularised and promoted in many “male-dominated” online forums. Creating environments where men can meet and form communities with like-minded peers can go a long way. In South Korea, a group of men who identify themselves as feminist formed an online group called “Feminism with Him” to discuss the dangers of toxic masculinity and to explore different ways of life for young men. The leading member of the group once told me he often received far more positive feedback from participants than he’d anticipated.
9. How can The Pixel Project’s supporters support journalists like yourself who work to shine a light on the issue of VAW?
A journalist’s job is to inform the public, so I think that reading, sharing, and talking about their stories with others is the best way to help them.
