By Cho Jae-hyon
Women are the weaker of the two sexes and are long considered as vulnerable to sexual assaults and harassments.
This generalization indicates men are aggressors, but this also produces an unintended side effect ― putting ordinary men in an awkward position in everyday circumstances.
From subway to streets at night, they have to overcome suspicious looks from women who fear the men sitting next to them in the subway or going in the same direction in a desolate neighborhood street are potential sexual predators.
Riding up steps on an overpass, many Korean women in short skirts cover their behind with their bags.
Men may suppress an urge to cry out loud, “Wear long skirts or trousers and cover up.” Of course, few would translate this urge into action.
Thus, this would make ordinary men behind them look away at the risk of stumbling.
In other words, the men have to pay extra attention or they may subject themselves subject to “dagger” looks or even verbal denunciations for every move they make.
Is it a case of the “Minority Report” applied to men to group them all in the same brush stroke of guilt even before they commit a crime?
The Korea Times let our young reporters investigate it.