EVENTS

South Korea is the world’s 13th largest economy, a tech powerhouse that is home to many technological innovations and is globally recognized as a cultural juggernaut churning out K-pop stars, K- dramas and cinemas. But the country also ranks 105th in a global gender equality survey, has had the largest gender pay gap in the OECD for decades, and is ranked as the worst place for a working woman in the industrialized world. However, Korean women are increasingly trying to change that, by building a robust #MeToo campaign, ushering in a powerful wave of feminist movement through the late 2010s and early 2020s. Hawon Jung, a former Seoul correspondent for AFP, has extensively covered the issues of sexual discrimination and violence, and her book, Flowers of Fire, chronicles the recent women’s rights activism that has ushered in many social, political, cultural changes in the country for the past decade. The seminar will examine and elucidate all these issues and the challenges faced by women in South Korea.

About the Speaker

Hawon Jung is a journalist and author of Flowers of Fire: The Inside Story of South Korea’s Feminist Movement and What It Means for Women’s Rights Worldwide, chosen as one of the best books of 2023 by The Economist magazine. Her coverage of South Korea’s #MeToo movement was shortlisted in the Awards for Editorial Excellence by the Society of Publishers in Asia. Her writings and commentary have been featured in the New York Times, Al Jazeera, Foreign Policy, and the BBC. She was chosen in 2024 as one of 30 individuals championing rights for women and sexual minorities around the world in the CNN series ‘As Equals’.

About the Chair

Sandip Kumar Mishra is Professor in Korean Studies at the Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. He is also an Honorary Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), New Delhi and a Distinguished Fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS), New Delhi. He obtained his doctoral degree in Korean Studies and International Relations from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He studied Korean Language at Yonsei University and Sogang University. He has published several research articles and book chapters, and features in newspapers such as Korea Times, Times of India, Indian Express, Financial Express, Pioneer, Tribune, and Statesman.

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