Masculinist movements in South Korea and Croatia

In South Korea, the political class does not hesitate to ride an anti-feminist wave. While in Croatia, it is the religious movement of the brotherhood of the Knights of the Immaculate Heart of Mary which annoys feminists.

While in Romania, at the beginning of January 2024, the courts decide to seize the property of masculinist influencer Andrew Tate, we are interested in the propagation of masculinist thought.

In South Korea, for example, anti-feminist movements are on the rise. Their theses were even taken up by the current president who decided to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality. En Croatia, the brotherhood of the Knights of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a masculinist and religious movement that has emerged over the past 18 months in this very Catholic country.

South Korea: the wage gap between men and women is 31%

The South Korean president has decided to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality, it was even one of the campaign promises of candidate Yoon Suk-yeol. This has still not been done, the ministry still exists, but at present, there is no more minister at its head. With the legislative elections taking place in less than three weeks, the subject divides again.

President believes that part of its objectives have been achieved, because chronic gender discrimination would have been erased from South Korean society. A position that has caused a lot of ink to be spilled and is divisive in a country where the pay gap between men and women is 31%, the highest in the OECD. But this rhetoric is popular, especially among young South Koreans. Some have even mobilized in movements which define themselves above all as “anti-feminist”. “We are a group that fights against the so-called feminists, who are actually radicals, who are currently rampant in Korea. They disrespect sexual minorities, the elderly, and pretend that women are superior.”says Bae In-gyu, one of the figures of South Korean masculinists.

Some people talk about “gender war”

These groups have hit the headlines with violent rhetoric, physically disrupting feminist demonstrations or launching online harassment campaigns. This movement has grown in response to the emergence of the #MeToo movement and the feminist cause in the country in recent years. Even though few South Koreans are actively mobilizing to defend the masculinist cause, the word “feminism” has almost become taboo. There is a big gap on the subject between young men and young women in South Korea. So much so that some speak of “gender war”. A local media survey, Sisainshowed that 60% of young South Korean men in their 20s believed that feminism was an ideology of female supremacy.

To explain the popularity of these masculinist theses,Researchers highlight a set of factors, compulsory military service of 18 months for men, for example. This is a period during which women continue their studies and often find employment. Added to this is another frustration linked to the economic difficulties of young people. It is more difficult for younger generations to access property or buy a car. And then, the fact that certain masculinist theses were able to be taken up by the president could have helped to legitimize this rhetoric. Will this strategy pay off at the polls?

Croatia: restoring the spiritual authority of men over the family

Every first Saturday of every month for the past year and a half, men have gathered for public prayer with hostile messages and attitudes towards women. These demonstrations, disguised as prayers, are organized by a group called the Brotherhood of Knights of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which is led by an ultra-conservative priest. These prayers are gaining momentum since at first they were only held on the main square in downtown Zagreb. But now they are spreading to other major Croatian cities.

The calls to prayer are launched on the website “be masculin”, “sois masculin”, in French. The participants, nicknamed the priors or the kneelers, are particularly encouraged not to speak to the secular media which would distort their remarks. The messages of these activists are particularly discriminating, since they call for the restoration of men’s spiritual authority over the family, chastity before marriage, modest dress for women, and an end to abortion. They also pray for the homeland and against blasphemy. Of course, these prayers are forbidden to women, who are physically prevented from accessing the center of the square during these demonstrations.

Feminist activists react

There is a contamination effect since the movement spreads to other cities and then, there are reactions from women’s groups and feminist movements. During the last two public prayers, demonstrators who held up signs declaring that they could dispose of their bodies hummed mocking songs at the kneelers. Some women who arrived there before the public prayers lay on the ground and wore clothes stained with fake blood. The police intervened to separate the masculinist activists from the feminists. Sometimes, the priors install barriers to close the square and it is the priors’ wives who stand guard and prevent passers-by from entering. In any case, these behaviors seem to displease the population. According to a poll, 75% of Croats do not support this movement, while 15% of the population would be in favor of it.