▲ Sexual violence is everywhere but nowhere. Provided by image.kmib.co.kr
Where do female students of Korea University (KU) reach out to for help when they experience sexual violence within student society? Not many places come to mind. Whether there really is a proper solution or not, a proper organization to deal with the constant sexual violence within KU campus is to be doubted. The vulnerability of gender issues requires a more delicate and responsible organization for an advocate. A new student body of responsibility and a female student autonomy organization is needed.
 
There has been a recent incident that greatly degraded KU’s image nationwide in June. In a Kakao Talk group chatroom consisting of nine male students, there were constant sexual harassments of individual fellow female students and their lovers, misogynistic remarks on the female sex, photos used without permission, and so many others. The talk continued for more than a year and was finally known by a whistle-blower who could not allow the conversation to go on.

First received by the direct victims, the Kakao Talk chat file was read and classified by the Kakao Talk Group Sexual Violence Victim Countermeasure Committee. The committee publicly posted campus wall posters all across the campus, which received great attention from both the students and the school body. The president of KU even wrote a campus wall poster himself on the issue, stating that the assailants are to be punished thoroughly, and that the school body will do its best to prevent similar incidents from happening. Social media and various news media also played a part in publicizing the issue.
 
This incident revealed thoroughly how anyone can be an assailant of sexual crime and misogyny. The commonly known male-culture, where sexual harassment and objectification of women is considered as a trait of being a popular male, is not something to be left as it is. The victims of the Kakao Talk incident raise awareness that misogyny is “everywhere but nowhere,” and that by publicizing this incident, they hope to set a base for future victims in the student society. They added for the need for strict punishment for the assailants and asked for change in the current KU Student Association (KUSA), as no particular rules related to sexual crimes existed.
 
   
▲ KUWSA. Photographed by Kim Seung Hyun.

Things, however, expanded differently from what the Committee expected. Although it expected proper help from the female student autonomy organization under  the KU Student Association (KUSA) and the Gender Equality Center, the reality was harsh. The KU Women Student Association (KUWSA) said that they could accompany the victims to the Gender Equality Center if necessary, but they could not give the committee proper legal counseling or actively help to solve the issue, at least within the student society. They did not have the capacity. The Gender Equality Center, though it started its operation ever since the president of KU declared his position, did not have enough enforcement power for direct measures.


KU lacks a powerful student organization for female students. Considering the fact that other universities have the General Female Students Association or Human Rights Committee, there is still a long way to go for KU. KUWSA exists, but its role is limited since it lacks the representing power as it is not an elected organization. Its voice is not much different from other student organizations on the gender issue. The fact that it consists of only five members, and the fact that it has yet to start bigger projects, also alludes to some of the limitations that current female student autonomy organizations have.

The existence of a powerful female student autonomy organization is important because the current KU system is not prepared enough to deal with gender issues. The Gender Equality Center acts only as a medium between the students and the school body—the center-oriented decisions are hard to be imposed properly in reality. The nature of the incidents that the Gender Equality Center deals with is also limited to major ones. When similar gender-based sexual crimes occur, or even when it is of a smaller and less striking level, it is hard to be dealt with properly within student society.

Other than the systematic deprivations, another reason for the need of a female student autonomy organization lies in the fact that the general perception of the KU student society needs change. Right after the Kakao Talk incident, before the incident grew into a public size, within the particular departments it is said that there were dominant voices that the victims are being “too harsh” on the assailants, and being over-reactive on men’s activities. Now that the incident has been publicized, secondary assailments on victims grew. Not only have people tried to specify the victims and assailants, but they also threw thoughtless comments on the content of sexual harassment and the accusation itself. Some tackled privacy issues, assailing the whistle-blower along with the victims.

With a more powerful female student organization, things can be different. Projects on systematical improvements, as well as overall improvements of perceptions on women rights, can start their way. The gender issue is often neglected easily in student society, although misogyny flows everywhere
like air. The Kakao Talk chatroom incident is just a mere symptom of the ill student society—more issues are to be dealt with, with greater propulsion. Women, especially female students, should stop being perceived merely as their genitals and rather as a complete individual. 

Ilbe, the problematic internet community’s criticized misogynistic comments did not come from nowhere. It came from the Korean society itself, where patriarchy stands still. If students do not stand strongly against these issues, similar incidents will repetitively happen over and over again, and might grow into a worse hate crime. A student unit countermeasure is essential at the point where the problem has started to show its bare face. Change starts from those who act; those of KU should not remain as a mere spectator of the issue. Solidarity and sensitivity seem to be required—misogyny is so easy to pass by.
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