'It's not a grudge. It's rage'

By Lee Kyung-min

Many women continue to voice criticism of President Moon Jae-in over his “misogynistic” remarks, well-intentioned consolation that has only angered them over what they deem an illustration of his “senseless” mindset.

A sign that appeared at a rally attended by over 60,000 women _ 18,000 according to police _ near Hyehwa Station in Daehangno, Seoul, Saturday, read: “Is the candlelit rally a revolution and the Hyehwa rally a grudge?” The statement was in response to the President's remarks at a Cabinet meeting last week, during which he said, “Our society fails to respect the honor and value of individuals. We need to address the issues, especially concerning women including sex-related shame. We need to ensure that women feel that their dignity and honor are respected and protected so that their grudge gets resolved.”

The rally organizers fiercely protested the “wrong” choice of words, adding that Moon should take responsibility for what could be interpreted as “ignorant and misogynistic” remarks. “President Moon, a self-proclaimed feminist should take responsibility for his words. Korean women will not idly sit and tolerate this. The government should roll out specific measures with plans for immediate implementation,” the group said.

Experts and women's rights advocacy group members say the President has no clear understanding of the extent of the far-reaching consequences sex crimes can have on women. “Sex crime victims have their fundamental human rights violated. It is not a simple matter of shame. The President, by using the word grudge, abjectly fails to grasp the degree of rage and frustration rightly expressed by women,” an official from women's rights advocacy group Womenlink said.

The protestors also criticized the President for failing to recognize the unfair nature of a police investigation into a case involving a male victim in an illegal filming of body parts. The unusually swift crackdown of the perpetrator in that case triggered a protest against the law enforcement authorities' “gender-biased” handling of hidden camera crimes against women, who account over 80 percent of the victims.

In what is widely known as the “Hongik University hidden camera crime,” police detained the woman who photographed a nude male model with her cell phone during an art class and shared the content online, less than 10 days after the incident occurred.

The “rapid” apprehension followed the review of her cell phone and tracking her IP address on the internet server and its log records. Police also searched her home and the location where she used a computer to upload the content. A district court issued an arrest warrant for her recognizing the prosecution's claim that she posed a flight risk and could destroy evidence.

The President's remarks in the lead up to the “wrong” word sought to show understanding by supporting the women's view, but to no avail. “What some women see as problematic in the investigation into hidden camera crimes is that the punishment on the perpetrators is too lenient compounded by low amount of damage granted to a victim in such cases in a civil suit.”