Women are Human Beings by Ashley Kim

As women, are we simply entitled to equality? Or are we supposed to earn it? For me, the  answer is obvious: gender equality is, first and foremost, a simple human right.  

Unfortunately, in a world full of positive female role models, sexism continues to oppress  women around the world, a phenomenon particularly evident in South Korea. Even today, it is  the societal norm for women in Korea to serve men or act a certain way for their pleasure. We are  expected to save a special seat at the center of the table for the “all-powerful” male; we are 

expected to leave our own parents to begin serving for our parents-in-law; and we, as women, are  expected to walk elegantly, talk respectfully, dress modestly, and act conservatively or else we  might suffer social ostracism. So, in this country, the issue is not simply that women are  considered inferior to men, but their value is based on their actions or appearance, not their  abilities or who they are.  

The extent of the suffocation and manipulation women can suffer in this society was brought to  light in the recent “Nth Room” case. This criminal case involved blackmailing and sharing videos of women being raped, molested, and sexually assaulted in the most horrifying ways  possible. The dehumanizing and degrading abuse these women suffered is proof of how some  men think it is their right to control and dominate women. There were 74 victims, some even  younger than I am, who were forced to upload explicit, self-harming videos of themselves into  the chatrooms of the social media app Telegram. As one of the victims stated, her personal  information uploaded to social media platforms was used to blackmail and trap her in an  exploitative relationship. At least 260,000 users accessed these chatrooms, paying with  cryptocurrency or their own videos, to gain sexual pleasure. In essence, this horrifying case  reveals how modern technology can be used to virtually exploit women in a novel form of  slavery.  

However, this is not the only recent sexual assault case in South Korea. Just last year, the  “Burning Sun Scandal” involved K-pop stars — who should be positive role models — sharing illegally filmed videos of them having sex with unconscious women. They shared these videos  without the women’s consent, scoffing at their rape victims.  

Now, these incidents of sexual assault and exploitation have had a profound effect on today’s society. Girls and women of all ages are being told by their families to be careful about what they  wear, how late they stay out, and their behavior because they believe by acting a certain way, we  are essentially “asking for it.”  

But why must women suffer restrictions when it is the men who have committed the crimes?  Why do young girls need to be worried about what they wear and where they go because their 

parents are scared of what might happen to them? Why is sex, a concept that is supposed to be  beautiful and natural, now something that some women view as horrific and even deadly?  

Ultimately, I am more than just a woman—I am a human being. As such, it is my sincere hope  that the two recent sex crimes targeting women will not be forgotten and will instead be a wake up call for the South Korean government. A woman’s life is not a man’s porn, a woman’s body is not a man’s sex toy, and most importantly, a woman’s value is not a man’s right to take away.  

In spite of the truth of these statements, sexual harassment scandals will never completely  disappear. And no matter how strong we are as women, if we are constantly objectified, abused,  and oppressed, we will slowly lose pieces of ourselves—eventually leaving us with a grave  feeling of emptiness and oblivion. Therefore, it is imperative that Korea changes its traditional  beliefs and ideologies and works to promote gender equality.  

However, this process will not be easy as South Korea does not enjoy change and is quite  stubborn in terms of how it chooses to run its systems. This explains why the old Korean idea of  men as omniscient beings persists to this day. If Korea just starts by developing better public  education systems and enforcing stricter punishments of sex crimes, this will be the first step  towards the public taking gender violence and sexism more seriously.