South Korean Man Attacks Woman Because ‘Short Hair Means Feminism’ – But What is Feminism And Why Does South Korean Society Fear it?

A man in South Korea has been arrested for a late-night attack on a female convenience store worker after thinking she was a feminist. CCTV footage showed the man in his 20s entering the store in the south-eastern city of Jinju after midnight and punching and kicking the woman.

He also assaulted another customer, in his 50s, who tried to intervene. Police said he had attacked the woman because she had short hair, and so assumed she was a feminist.

“Since you have short hair, you must be a feminist. I’m a male chauvinist, and I think feminists deserve to be assaulted,” he told her, according to the police.

He continued his assault until he was stopped by police who arrived on the scene. Authorities said he had been in a drunken state, and was previously diagnosed and treated for schizophrenia.

This is not the first time such a an event about feminist ideology has occurred in the state.

But, who is a feminist?  What does feminism stand for?