In a shocking incident that has sparked widespread outrage and a solidarity movement online, a young female part-time worker in her 20s was subjected to a violent attack at a convenience store in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province. The assault, which occurred on a seemingly ordinary Saturday, was perpetrated by a man also in his 20s, who targeted the victim solely because of her short hairstyle.

| The Perpetua Press

The assailant, whose actions were caught on the store’s surveillance system, berated the young woman with accusations of feminism linked to her short hair, declaring that “feminists deserve to be assaulted.” The situation escalated when a male customer in his 50s intervened in an attempt to halt the assault and was also attacked by the irate man.

Since you have short hair, you must be a feminist. I’m a male chauvinist, and I think feminists deserve to be assaulted.

— The attacker to the victim

Photo for illustrative purposes.

According to the authorities, the assailant was allegedly intoxicated at the time of the attack and is currently undergoing treatment for schizophrenia.

Following the violent episode on Friday, the young woman in her twenties sustained severe injuries to her ear and ligaments, though they were not deemed life-threatening, according to police reports. The customer who stepped in to help was also seriously injured, suffering fractures to his face and shoulder after the assailant struck him with a chair.

Photo for illustrative purposes. | Yahoo Finance

Authorities indicated that on Sunday, they sought a warrant for the detention of the suspected attacker.

In South Korea, short hair on women has previously incited aggression, with some prejudiced critics linking the hairdo to feminism—a concept unfairly maligned and misconstrued as misandry by them.

Women have started posting their short haircuts in solidarity. | The Korea Times

Back in 2021, a movement swept across the internet as numerous women displayed their short haircuts in support of an Olympic archer. Despite her triumphant gold medal wins at the Tokyo Games, she was bombarded with online vitriol simply due to her short hairstyle.

 “Since you have short hair, you must be a feminist.”