The work of a poet tipped as a possible Nobel winner is being deleted from textbooks following allegations of indecent exposure. A theatre director publicly apologized for “crimes” after being accused of abuse. An actor died by suicide after being accused of sexually assaulting multiple students at the university where he taught. In the following weeks, a provincial governor and presidential hopeful resigned and “begged forgiveness” after being accused of repeatedly raping his assistant.

In late January, prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun publicly accused a former senior justice ministry official of sexual harassment, an allegation from a person in a respected profession that has resonated with remarkable force, inspiring a deluge of similar allegations and an intense national conversation. Their release came during a period of new reflection in South Korea, where the #MeToo movement has taken sudden root, prompted by high-profile allegations of sexual assault and impropriety that have brought to the fore long-festering problems with women’s position in society. The video, one of three released online in February, was meant to inspire a broader conversation and serve as a line in the sand. And if there is no voice of self-reflection among us journalists, then who can say that they are really reporting the truth?”

“If I don’t say this, I will become numb to it. Poor treatment of women in South Korean media is “rampant,” said Lee Ji-yoon, another KBS journalist in the video. It left her feeling that “those guys think women are objects for sexual consumption - and my presence doesn’t matter.” When she had to attend karaoke bars with colleagues, “I would sing non-stop, because when I wasn’t singing, I would have to witness them doing these things - and they would ask me to slow dance with them,” she said.

South korean root out sexual assaults