Concern as ‘antifeminist' is elected president

The election of an avowed “anti-feminist” as the next president of South Korea has been greeted with dismay amid accusations Yoon Suk-yeol fuelled the gender divide to garner support from young male voters.

- Raphael Rashid

Former top prosecutor Yoon defeated the liberal ruling party candidate Lee Jae-myung by 263,000 votes in a closely contested poll on 9 March.

Yoon has blamed South Korea’s low birthrate on feminism. He has called for the abolition of the gender equality ministry, which he says focuses too much on women’s rights and is no longer necessary. He has promised to enhance punishments for false accusations of sexual violence, a step campaigners say will deter even more women from coming forward.

An exit poll showed only 34% of women in their 20s marked Yoon on their ballot paper, compared with 59% of men in their 20s, and 53% of those in their 30s.

Kim Hye-yoon, a 34-year-old woman from Gwangju, felt “bitter” at the result. “Everyone knows that misogyny in Korea is a serious problem, and while it’s comforting to see change is occurring, when I saw the election of a candidate who pledged misogyny, I knew we still have a long way to go,” she said.

Kim said the result was expected, given so much criticism of the current administration, including a sluggish economy and soaring house prices.