South Korean man arrested after attacking shop clerk he thought was a feminist

In South Korea, a man in his twenties has been arrested for a late-night assault on a female convenience store worker.

This attack occurred in the city of Jinju in the southeastern part of the country after midnight.

CCTV footage captured the man entering the store and physically assaulting the woman.

He also attacked a male customer in his fifties who attempted to intervene.

The motive behind the assault was that the man assumed the store worker was a feminist due to her short hair.

He expressed his beliefs, saying, “Since you have short hair, you must be a feminist. I’m a male chauvinist, and I think feminists deserve to be assaulted.”

The attack continued until the police arrived on the scene. The man was reportedly in a drunken state, and he had a history of schizophrenia.

South Korea has often received poor rankings for gender equality, especially in the workplace, among economically-advanced nations.

In recent years, there has been a rise in anti-feminist sentiments, particularly among young men who feel disadvantaged due to perceived reverse discrimination.

The female victim, in her twenties, sustained serious ear and ligament injuries but was not in a life-threatening condition.

The intervening customer also suffered injuries, including face and shoulder fractures when he was hit with a chair.

The police have sought a warrant to keep the alleged perpetrator in custody.

Notably, women with short hair have previously been targeted in South Korea, where some misogynistic individuals associate this hairstyle with feminism, a misconception that equates feminism with being anti-male.

In 2021, a viral campaign saw women proudly displaying their short hair in solidarity with an Olympic archer who received online abuse for her short hairstyle despite her gold medal success at the Tokyo Games.

Source-BBC