Monday, July 18, 2011

'Slut Walk' protest held in Seoul

I never thought Seoul would also do the same 'Slut Walk' protest with cities like Toronto, London and Chicago.  For those who may not know what it is here's a brief information.


What is Slut Walk? 
Is a kind of protest march against explaining or excusing rape by referring to any aspect of a woman's appearance.[citation] If you are familiar with the psychological term "blaming the victim" syndrome, we could explain the protest in this nature.

How did it start and when?

It started when Constable Michael Sanguinetti, a Toronto Police officer uttered these words "I've been told I'm not supposed to say this - however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised." The remarks prompted 3,000 people to take part in the first SlutWalk protest in Toronto last April 3, 2011* roughly 4 months after Sanguinetti did his remarks. Other major cities in the world also had their Slut Walk protests.
For more information about Slut Walk just refer to the links below. 

What I'm saying is that the Slut Walk protest that happened in Seoul did not just occur because they want to follow the other major cities. The protest is connected to the recent issue of sexual assault by three male Korea University’s medical student to a fellow female student during a school trip. Please refer to the links I attached for details.

Here is the article about the Slut Walk in Seoul.


A “Slut Walk” protest took place in downtown Seoul, Saturday, with some participants dressing provocatively, arguing women should not be blamed for sexual assaults simply because of the way they dress or behave.

“There is no one who deserves any kind of sexual assault anywhere in the world,” participants at the rally said in a statement. “We have the right not only to dress freely as we want to but also to live without fear of sex crimes.”

It was the first time that such a rally has been held in Korea. Similar protests have taken place in cities such as Chicago, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, London and Sydney since the first Slut Walk protest on April 3 this year in Toronto, Canada.

The Korean version of the Slut Walk protest was initiated by a woman who suggested the rally on her Twitter account after the alleged sexual assault by three male medical school students at Korea University on a female colleague during a school trip in May.

About 10 participants mostly dressed provocatively with some just wearing shorts and bras and others in skintight short skirts, first gathered at 2 p.m. in front of Korea University.

They marched on the campus, protesting the sexual assault case and calling for harsh punishment of the three students.

The protesters later moved to the Wonpyo Park in Sejong Road, downtown Seoul. They staged various performances as a protest against those who try to explain or excuse rape by referring to any aspect of a woman’s appearance.

The number of participants increased to about one hundred at around 4 p.m. despite occasional heavy downpours. They then moved to the streets near Hongik University and held performances until they dispersed later that night. The organizers said they plan to donate funds raised during the event to help the female student.

e3dward@koreatimes.co.kr
http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/07/117_91060.html

Other Links 
Regarding the medical students' sexual assault
       http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/06/117_88264.html
       http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/06/117_88918.html

Regarding Slut Walk
     *http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-13646593
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SlutWalk

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