We would like to invite you to an informal gathering on the 11th of December, to seize the opportunity to meet Myoung Ryoon Kim, also known as Goldie, a driving force on feminism in Korea. Currently visiting Europe and a guest of Emancipator while she is in the Netherlands. Below you can find an introduction on her work and herself.
Together with a select group of NGOs, politicians, activist and other stakeholders you will learn about her experiences in Korea, where she has worked on men and gender justice during the reign of an openly anti-feminist president. We invite you to join in on a conversation on the parallels and differences between the recent political and feminist history in Korea and in Europe. How do we dance that dance, when it sometimes seems to be three steps back and one step forward, a step often labelled as ‘woke’.
The gathering will be hosted by Emancipator and WO=MEN, and is part of the ongoing Alliance Politica and a continuation of the Rights at Risk conference.
Date: 11th of December
Time: 15.00 – 17.00 (welcome from 14.30)
Location: The Hague (location will be shared prior to the event)
To join us for this gathering, please apply with this form:
click here.
As it will be a small gathering, we can not guarantee we can welcome all, but we will confirm your participation as soon as possible.
Introducing Goldie Myoung Ryoon Kim
A personal story by a feminist that confronted the political manifestation of hegemonic masculinity wearing the face of anti-feminism in Korea. A history in which anti-feminism was an aggressive strategy by the conservative party to win the elections in 2022 and to starve the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. On a normal, peaceful Tuesday, the 3rd of December 2024, the president declared martial law. A coup as the president was unable to govern as he wished. Because his hegemonic, patriarchal, militaristic, hierarchical and undemocratic masculinity was met by the rule of law and the parliamentary democracy. A history in which feminist kept going. They never stopped. When funding was cut for education on gender, experts working on the eradication of gender-based violence lost their jobs, yet this did not stop feminist activism. It even led to more young women participating in activism, which used to be more male-centered. June the 3rd 2025 a new president was elected, Lee Jae-myung, from the democratic party. But will this government be able restore all that has been demolished in the past years? And do they want to? Can they afford to? These personal experiences of Goldie shed a light on a lot of the discussions in the Netherlands and Europe on the anti-feminist, anti-rights and anti-democratic movement we see here. Targeting politicians, across all isles. Targeting men and boys, online and offline. And targeting women.
Again in the recent Dutch elections we could see how parties are willing to move their goalposts when it comes to human rights, gender justice and misogyny. How far are they willing to go to gain power? To please certain male voters that do not support feminist policies. To show toxic masculine traits, by a ‘slip of the tongue’ sexist ‘joke’ in one of the major debates. Should we celebrate how the democratic party in Korea might be able to take 10 steps forward, after the conservatives set the country 30 steps back? And how can feminists, of all genders, keep forcing these parties to do better, because even restoring that 30 steps wouldn’t be sufficient. So let’s not stop now!
Over 30 years Goldie has been part of, and became a driving force in, the feminist movement in Korea. As a Gender Trainer, Educator of Gender-based Violence Prevention, Activist for Gender Equality & Justice. Currently she is a representative of GOMA Korea (Gender Justice Organization for More Actions). Goldie visited the Netherlands in 2022 for a deep-dive into the IMAGINE-methodology and vision of Emancipator. To include the transformation of masculinities into her work and to share this with others. Now, years later she trained over 500 IMAGINE-trainers that are now active in Korea and K-MEN has been launched, the Korean MenEngage Network, as a national chapter of the global network.
