Abstract
Recently, Korean society has witnessed a surge of anti-feminist backlash, intensified in particular by mainstream politicians with selfish motives. The oft-cited term “gender conflict” was used as a decoy to instigate fear and anxiety among young Koreans (expecially men) and lure their votes. Against this backdrop, this paper reviews the popularization of feminism in South Korea and seeks to understand its limits and potentials. In doing so, this paper focuses on the experiences of young feminists residing in the Daegu-Kyungpook region. The new wave of digital feminist movements, crystallized in the act of “mirroring,” indicates the rise of new recalcitrant female subjects who defy the norms and ethics of previous feminist movements. However, despite their online aggressiveness, they fear widespread stigma and its concurrent violence, and feel isolated in a region notorious for its misogynist and conservative culture. This leads them to build a “feminist shelter” to seek consolation and empowerment among like-minded women. Lastly, this paper examines the problematic entanglement of feminism and neoliberal meritocracy.
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