BLOG POSTS
Opinion pieces and critical articles from Human Asia and EAYAN Program participants.
The Revision Plan on the Abortion Law: Still a Step Backwards for Women’s Rights – Jihyeon Bae
Jihyeon Bae Human Asia Volunteer (Credit: Hani) On April 11, 2019, women in South Korea were finally released from becoming ‘criminalized bodies’ after 66 years living under an abortion ban. On this day, South Korea’s ban on abortion was ruled as unconstitutional. The Constitutional Court ordered that the law must be revised by the end of 2020, stating: “This constitutes as an...
Women in Christianity: A Look into Korea’s Church Leadership – Yejin Son
Yejin Son Human Asia Intern (Image: Members of Chongshin Unversity’s Women’s Association calling for the permission of female pastors in front of the joint general meeting of the Yejang denomination, 2017. Credit: Voice of the People) As a seemingly mono-ethnic, secular nation that upholds the freedom to practice all religions in the constitutional, societal, and individual level, it is surprising that more...
Dreaming of a Society Free from Digital Sex Crimes – Hyeonjeong Kim
Hyeonjeong Kim Human Asia Volunteer (Picture: Yonhap. Source: The Korea Herald) Recently, online sexual violence against women, as exemplified in the Telegram Nth Room scandal, drew widespread public attention in South Korea. The chat room operators obtained explicit sexual and sometimes violent footage of victims including children and adolescents, such as nude photos. They lured victims under false pretenses, including offering employment,...
A Step Towards Artivism: How is the Korean Film Industry Changing? – April Park
April Park Human Asia Project Intern (Video: Marie Claire Korea, Youtube. Press CC for English.) In commemoration of International Women’s Day, Marie Claire Korea has released its third Gender Free Campaign video on March 6, 2020. The video shows eight female actresses, delivering lines originally performed by male actors. The campaign serves to raise awareness about gender fluidity and to break gender...
Scrutinizing ‘Gender’ to ‘Transgender’ – Seonwoo Yoon
Seonwoo Yoon Human Asia Project Intern [Image: Hee-soo Byun during a press conference in Seoul, January 22 2020. Credit: Yonhap News) Starting from a decision of the Korean military discharging Hee-soo Byun, who came out as trans and insisted to serve in the army as a woman, specific issues relating to trans people in Korea have sparked various disputes. In addition to...
[Now Accepting Submissions] Got an Idea for a Blog Post?
Human Asia is now accepting submissions for blog posts from our EAYAN Program participants! If you would like to submit an academic or critical opinion article pertaining to: Regional news and developments linked to human rights Important historical events profiling human rights milestones or setbacks Culture or media (books, films, online videos etc) Interviews with human rights figures Any other...