Origins of Feminist Rhetoric in the Public Discourse in South Korea

South Korea is a country aspiring to social justice and economic development. Women’s rights movement greatly contributed to the process of democratization and, as a consequence, the range of women’s activity in political, economic and social affairs had broadened considerably. This study analyses the process of women’s rights development in this country and examines the key cases that had a significant impact on it. The purpose of this research is to achieve a better understanding of the change of women rights at both sociocultural and legislative level and examine which particular cases, resolutions, demonstrations, etc. had the most impact on it. In order to describe the connection between the feminist rhetoric and sociocultural and legislative changes in South Korea, we will perform primary and secondary data collection and apply qualitative data analysis. Within the topic, studies of several authors focused on specific problems the women’s rights movement is fighting against were examined. For example, study by Koh (2008) examines the correlation between gender issues and Confucian philosophy, while Nam (2000) pays close attention to the role of women in the process of democratization in South Korea.