‘Blatantly sexist’: backlash against South Korea’s sex education

Lim Ji-Yeon in The Treacherous (2015)

South Korea’s sex-education program is notoriously sexist – Students are taught from a young age that women must look pretty and men must earn a lot of money
Finding the perfect life partner can be difficult, but South Korean students are taught from an early age the ideal method for attracting a spouse is really quite simple.
“Women have to work on their appearance and men have to work on improving their financial capabilities,” say the government guidelines for high school pupils.
Sooji – New Folder 2

Yoon Seol Hee in New Folder 2 (2015)

When dating begins, the guidelines carry a warning: “For men who spend a lot of money on dates, it is natural he would want to be compensated for the money spent. In such cases, unwanted date rape can occur”.
Students are required to receive 15 hours of sex ed per year, starting in elementary school and continuing through high school.
Ha Joo Hee in Love Clinic

Now, some parents and teachers are seeking alternative, private lessons for their students, and in the #MeToo era, demand for better sex education is growing. Despite the election of a more progressive government in 2017, teachers who spoke to media this year say that many of the teachings of the 2015 guidelines are still in place.

The latest version of the national sex-ed guidelines was introduced in 2015, and it’s full of lessons that have prompted a backlash from activists, teachers, and parents. For example, first- and second-graders in elementary school are taught that “(male) sexual desire can arise quickly on impulse, regardless of time or place.”

The Guardian and the Korean Herald obtained a copy of the guidelines, and reprinted some of their contents:

• “Females sexually respond to one specific male, whereas males can have sexual intercourse extensively with women they are only sexually attracted to.”
• “Women have to work on their appearance and men have to work on improving their financial capabilities.”
• “For men who spend a lot of money on dates, it is natural he would want to be compensated for the money spent. In such cases, unwanted date rape can occur.”
• “People of the opposite sex should not be alone together by themselves.”
• “If sexually harassed on the subway, step on his foot as if by mistake.”

South Korea’s sexist sex-ed curriculum is spurring a private sex-ed industry

Tutoring companies are also cashing in on the outcry: Per the Guardian, a private sex-ed school in Seoul saw its enrollment more than double in 2018. Each two-hour session costs parents about 50,000 won ($45).

Han Se Ah in Love Affair (2014)