South Korea’s presidential race puts misogyny in spotlight

By JUWON PARK, KIM TONG-HYUNG and KIM JUNG YOON
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — For years, the story of South Korean women has been one of perseverance as they made steady progress in the workplace and fought against a deeply entrenched culture of misogyny and harassment. A bitter presidential race has exposed the fragility of their gains as major candidates, desperate for male votes, cater to a growing population of angry young men decrying gender equality policies and the loss of privileges in a hyper-competitive job market. The divisiveness of the campaign has raised tensions among voters already split by ideology and regional loyalties. It has left female voters fearing rollbacks in women’s issues. Conservative hopeful Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, saying it promotes policies unfair to men.