Over the course of the past decade or so, South Korea has become a country where men and women occupy completely different political perspectives and landscapes. It's also one of the countries with the lowest fertility rates in the world. This week, June and Josh look at how South Korea's history of patriarchy and male conscription have collided with a restive and extremely online female populace to create a massive breakdown in gender relations.

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EPISODE ART: Yoon Suk Yeol, the 13th president of South Korea. Yoon ran for president in 2022, winning an overwhelming share of the young male vote on an anti-feminist campaign that heavily emphasized young men's grievances. In 2024, with his popularity declining, Yoon attempted to self-coup by declaring martial law, leading the National Assembly to pass emergency impeachment and removal measures. In 2026 he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

LINKS:

• Josh's episode of Informed Attraction about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and The Last of Us

AUDIO CLIPS:

• 39:04 – Michael Knowles and Katie Miller discussing how women now outnumber men in the American workforce on The Katie Miller Podcast

SOURCES:

• National Geographic, Korea, and the 38th Parallel
• Country Studies: South Korea
• EQUAL EMPLOYMENT ACT
• The role of social solidarity in the rise and decline of the South Korean student movement in the 1970–1990s
• Why South Korea’s young men are turning conservative
• South Korea’s misogyny problem
• A new global gender divide is emerging
• Gender politics and right-wing politics clash in South Korea
• Megalia: Feminists of South Korea
• 4B movement
• Understanding antifeminist backlash in the South Korean context: Remnants of militarism and patriarchy
• 'Because women aren't wearing bikinis'? Gaming industry faces renewed 'feminism verification' controversy
• 'I got death threats when men thought I put feminist gesture in video game'
• The Fight Over Gender Equality in South Korea
• Anti-Gender Politics, Economic Insecurity, and Right-Wing Populism: The Rise of Modern Sexism among Young Men in South Korea
• Random murder in the middle of Gangnam Station: 'Women ignored me'
• "Not a 'random' crime, but a 'misogyny' crime"… Women in their 20s stage protest performance, lying on the ground
• Labor force by gender | South Korea | Male
• Boycotting Men? How the 4B Feminist Rebellion is Taking on Patriarchy
• What is South Korea's 4B movement and could it take off in the West?
• The Necessary Paradigm Shift for South Korea’s Ultra-Low Fertility
• I’ve Covered Women in the Workplace for 15 Years. Something Alarming Is Happening.
• Blowback Podcast: S3 Episode 1 - “Stop Me Before I Kill Again”

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FOLLOW JOSH:

• Website: joshboerman.com
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• Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds
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FOLLOW JUNE:

• Bluesky: @junlper.beer
• Other podcast: Kill The Computer
• Writing: June's Substack

ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)