South Korean court hailed for recognising misogyny as anti-feminist hate crime motive

A South Korean court has recognised misogyny as a motive for a hate crime, a decision activists hailed as a breakthrough for women’s rights.

The Changwon District Court upheld the assailant’s three-year jail term – and added a clause in its ruling that explicitly stated the crime was motivated by misogyny.

The assailant, who was 24, committed the crime “based on unfounded hatred and prejudice against women, which constitutes a condemnable motive for the offence”, the court ruled, a spokesman for the court said. The verdict cannot be appealed, he added.

The victim lost hearing in her left ear after the attack and has been unemployed since the incident, according to activists supporting her.