Feminist menstrual activism in South Korea (1999–2012)

ABSTRACT

This study begins with questions about the politics of menstruation that have been unspoken and neglected issues in Korean feminist history. Menstruation first appeared in social discourse in Korean society, raised by a few women’s groups in the midst of the new feminist movement. This study examines three activities of the movement: the “Menstruation Festival,” “Pad Up–Down Campaign,” and “Bloodsisters Solidarity” for evaluation as historical cases of Korean menstrual activism, 1999–2012. It considers the strategies and differences in sociocultural contexts wherein concerns about menstruation converge with the feminist agenda. Characteristics of menstrual activism in Korea surfaced in issues pertaining to women’s health advocacy, Young Feminist cultural feminism, radical feminism and eco-feminism surrounding the “alternative menstrual pad” movement. These processes of the menstrual activism of grassroots women’s groups are examined here and reveal that the dominance of consumerism and the androcentric, gender-discriminatory culture are related to the gender politics of menstruation in South Korea.

ABSTRACT IN KOREAN

한국 사회에서 월경이 사회적 담론으로 등장한 것은 1990년대 후반에서 2000년대 초반 영 페미니스트들의 월경페스티벌 문화운동, 한국여성민우회의 소비자운동, 여성환경연대의 여성건강운동, 피자매연대의 급진적 환경대안운동 등 새로운 여성운동의 흐름 속에서였다. 본 연구는 특정 시기에 나타난 이들 활동이 최초의 한국의 월경 액티비즘의 역사적 사례로서 재평가될 필요가 있다는 문제의식에서 출발한다. 본 연구에서 월경 액티비즘은 집단적 사회 운동의 형태로서 월경 문제의 실천적 특성을 가시화하기 위한 용어로 사용한다. 이 시기 한국의 풀뿌리 여성 집단에 의해서 전개된 월경 액티비즘은 “대안 생리대 운동”을 중심으로 전개된 특징을 갖는다. 이들 사례들에서 제기된 월경 이슈는 소비자본주의의 지배와 남성중심적 성차별적 성문화가 월경의 젠더정치와 연결되어 있음을 드러낸다. 또한 월경 액티비즘은 여성의 몸 경험을 남성중심적 시각에서 해석하고 평가해 온 성차별적 가부장제적 의미체계에 대한 저항이자 여성에 대한 폭력과 성차별적인 사회적 문화적 인식과 관행을 비판하는 매개로서 작동했다.

KEYWORDS:

• Menstruation
• menstrual activism
• alternative sanitary pad
• feminism
• South Korea

KEYWORDS:

• 월경
• 월경액티비즘
• 대안생리대
• 페미니즘
• 한국

Notes on contributor

Jieun ROH is a senior research coordinator at the Asian Center for Women’s Studies of Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea. Since 2002, she has been involved in various international academic networking, educational and publication projects at Ewha Womans University from where she received her Ph.D. in Women's Studies. Her special research interests are in gender politics of body and menstruation, sexual and reproductive rights and health in Korea and Asia.

Notes

1. For more information, see Seoul Shinmun (2000, August 21) and Hankyoreh (2000, August 29).

2. For more information, see Roh and Lee (2002) and OhmyNews (2003, July 18).

3. For more information, see “Proposal for preliminary investigation for the ‘sanitary pad-related campaign’,” Dongbuk WomenLink.

4. Value Added Tax Act [Enforced 1 January 2004] [Act No. 7003, 30 December 2003, Partially Amended] “Article 26 (Supply of Tax-Free Goods or Services), Section 1: The supply of any of the following goods or services is exempt from value added tax. 4. Menstrual hygiene products.” For more information, see National Law Information Center, Value Added Tax Act, www.law.go.kr.

5. There is a total of 20 items exempt from tax under Article 26 of the Value Added Tax Act [15 December 2015], and sanitary pads are listed in item 4, following unprocessed foodstuffs, tap water, and briquettes. For more information, see National Law Information Center, Value Added Tax Act, www.law.go.kr.

6. 16th National Assembly Proceedings No. 243 Round 10 Finance and Economy Committee Proceedings, October 28, 2003.

7. For more information, see OhmyNews (2003, August 14).

8. “For women, sanitary pads are like daily necessities; to tax them would constitute a retrogressive tax burden, as the burden is equal regardless of whether people have money or not.”16th National Assembly Proceedings No. 243 Round 8 Finance and Economy Committee, Bill and Petition Screening Subcommittee Proceedings, November 17, 2003.

9. 16th National Assembly Proceedings No. 243 Round 8 Finance and Economy Committee, Bill and Petition Screening Subcommittee Proceedings, November 17, 2003.

10. 16th National Assembly Proceedings, No. 244 Round 1 National Assembly plenary session, December 18, 2003.

11. For more information, see Financial News (2011, April 7), WomenNews (2005, May 12) and WomenNews (2011, September 9).

12. For more information, see Segye Ilbo (2006, January 4), Hankyoreh (2007, August 27), and Interview 365 (2008, March 18).

13. For more information, see Manic, “Why alternative menstrual pads,” http://bloodsisters.net.

14. For more information, see Bloodsisters Solidarity, Newsletter Educational Tabloid, http://bloodsisters.net.

15. For more information, see Bloodsisters Solidarity Resources, http://bloodsisters.net.

16. For more information, see Bloodsisters Solidarity, Newsletter Issue 3, http://bloodsisters.net.

17. For more information, see “Activist Neurim,” Bloodsisters Solidarity, Newsletter Issue 3, http://bloodsisters.net.

18. For more information, see “The final address by Bloodsisters Solidarity,” December 30, 2012, http://bloodsisters.net.

19. For more information, see Bloodsisters Solidarity, Newsletter Educational Tabloid, http://bloodsisters.net.

20. For more information, see http://blog.ohmynews.com/specialin/239749.

21. For more information, see Bloodsisters Solidarity, Resources Article, http://bloodsisters.net.

22. For more information, see Bloodsisters Solidarity, Workshop Handout 1, http://bloodsisters.net.

23. For more information, see http://blog.ohmynews.com/specialin/239749.

24. In workshops, cotton sanitary pads are handcrafted when an order is placed, http://ecoview.or.kr/마고할미네에-놀러오세요-김수정 (December, 2005).

25. Geunaren (Triple Life, 2007) supplies iCOOP and Korean WomenLink cooperatives, and exports to Japan and Australia; Hansallimdaldongmu (Cotton Ball, 2009) sells sanitary pads made with cotton balls by village businesses, which are members of the Hansallim cooperatives, in on- and offline malls.

26. For more information, see Hankyoreh (2005).