Sung Jae-gi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sung Jae-gi
|
|
|---|---|
Sung in 2013
|
|
| Born | September 11, 1967 Daegu, South Korea
|
| Died | July 26, 2013 (aged 45) |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Other names | Shimheon, Chongjuk, Blue Wolf (pen name) |
| Alma mater | Yeungnam University |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Children | Two daughters |
| Hangul |
성재기
|
| Hanja |
成在基
|
| Revised Romanization | Seong Jaegi |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sŏng Chaegi |
Sung Jae-gi (Hangul: 성재기 [səːŋ dʑɛgi]; September 11, 1967 – July 26, 2013) was a South Korean men's rights activist. Sung founded and was the first chairman of Man of Korea, a men's rights group advocating the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family—whose Korean name (여성부; 女性部) translates as "Ministry of Women"—and demanded compensation for the South Korean military-service requirement.
During the early 21st century, Sung led the South Korean anti-feminist movement opposing female-preferential policies. In early adulthood he was a businessman, and in October 1999 he participated in the movement opposing the abolition of preferential treatment for discharged soldiers. Sung opposed the abolition of the Hoju system, and later participated in men's-rights activities. In 2006 he founded the Association of Anti-Feminism and Male Liberation. In 2007 he founded the Association for the Abolition of the Ministry of Women. The following year, Sung founded Man of Korea and was its chairman from 2008 until his death in 2013. His business activities included a nightclub and a consulting and executive search company.
From 1999 until his death Sung argued for the restoration of the Korean Army bonus points system (군가산점 제도). During the early 2010s he was an activist for the abolition of women-only facilities. In 2011, he began offering assistance and counseling to battered husbands, househusbands, teenage runaways and male and child victims of violent crime. Sung opened a shelter for homeless persons, male victims of violent crime, teenage runaways and gay and transgender people. From 1999 to 2013, Sung was part of the gender liberation and liberal movements and the movement to abolish the women's special-benefits policy.
Near the end of his life Sung was reportedly up to ₩100 million in debt.
Sung wrote under the pen names Blue Wolf (Korean: 푸른늑대), Tongbalbass (Korean: 똥발바쓰) and Tongbal (Korean: 똥발), and his nickname was Shimheon (심헌 審軒 or 심헌 心軒), Chongjuk(청죽 靑竹). chinese name was Im-sung(임성 臨聖). His family is part of the Changnyeong Sung clan (창녕성씨 昌寧成氏).
Contents
Early life
Sung was born in Daegu on September 11, 1967. His father was wealthy, and his one uncle was a police officer in Daegu. During his youth, he developed masculinity and machismo. Sung became hostile, and was repulsed by traditional masculine behavior. In adolescence he became convinced of the need for men's liberation: "I was so grown, but nowadays teenage and 20, 30s young men are not like that. They tell another if it hurts, 'I am sick', tell another if they're tired, 'I am tired'.
At that time Sung became conscious of authority, developed a loathing for the patriarchal system and complained that South Korean society treated males cruelly. After graduating from Daegu High School, he began studying economics at Yeungnam University in 1985 and graduated in February 1993.
Young adulthood
In 1987, Sung joined the South Korean Army and served with the 3rd Infantry Division (육군 제3보병사단 陸軍第三步兵師團) in Cheolwon (Gangwon Province) until 1990. He spent his early twenties as an insurance salesman, briefly managing his own business. In 2006, he operated a night club in Daegu. From August 26 to November 30 of that year, Sung worked for the Thomas McFly Consulting and Headhunting Company (토마스 맥플라이 컨설팅 & 헤드헌팅사) in the Eastern District of Daegu before resigning to continue his human-rights campaigns.
During the early 2000s, Sung joined the South Korean men's rights movement and campaigned for a variety of causes. On November 26, 2006 he founded the Association of Anti-Feminism for the Liberation of Men (Korean: 반페미니즘남성해방연대), and on January 4, 2007 he founded the Association for the Abolition of the Ministry of Women (Korean: 여성부폐지운동본부, 女性部廢止運動本部). In 2013, both groups had several thousand members.
Sung campaigned for the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in the 2002 and 2007 presidential elections, questioning its justification. After the 2000s Sung emphasized personal values, individual rights and the right to privacy in his speeches, saying that personal values are God-given rights. He later led a campaign to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality.
In August 1994 Sung married Park Eun-kyong, an internist and professor at the College of Medicine of Chung-ang University. They had two daughters.
Criticisms
In 1999 Sung opposed abolishing the South Korean military's bonus-points system (군 가산점;軍 加算點) and military veterans' compensation, and supported the abolition of the South Korean female quota (여성 할당제;女性割當制) and female employment quota systems (여성고용할당제;女性雇傭割當制). From 2004 to January 2005, he unsuccessfully opposed the abolition of the Hoju system (호주제 戶主制). Sung advocated the resurrection of the South Korean military bonus-points system and the abolition of female quotas until his death.
Movement to protect military bonus points system
From August 1999 to 2001, Sung advocated the protection of the South Korean military's bonus-points system and had a small number of sympathizers. In October 2001 the system was found unconstitutional and repealed, with Sung advocating its reconstruction: "What is my duty? Do you know why Man of Korea started? Because in 1999 military bonus points were abolished! Because of the excuse of gender equality for threatening national security."
Sung long argued for the "resuscitation of military bonus points", reviving a reconstruction movement for the Korean military bonus-points system in 2011. He participated in civil-rights and masculist activities, leading a male-liberation movement. Sung requested compensation for his mandatory South Korean military service until his death.
Men's rights movements
Fathers' rights movement
From 2004 to January 2005 Sung supported the Hoju system, reasoning that the system supported the last rights of fathers. Feeling that the system had symbolic meaning for fathers and families, he argued with South Korean radical feminists on the Internet. The Hoju system was abolished in January 2005, and Sung advocated its revival until his death.
He long criticized the Ministry of Gender Equality. On December 12, 2012, Sung told presidential candidate Park Geun-hye that to "recover lost fathers' rights is the way for my family's happiness".
Male protection
From 2008 until his death, Sung was protective of weak men and disadvantaged, gay and transgender people and advocated for the protection of male and young victims of domestic violence. He opened male-protection facilities, the first on January 26, 2008 in Samsung-dong, Gangnam-gu.
Sung supported refuges in Samseong-dong in Gangnam-gu, Seokcheon-dong in Songpa-gu and Yeongdeungpo-dong in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. He opposed racism and discrimination against minorities, male victims of crime, the weak minorities. Sung provided accommodations and job placement for homeless, unemployed young male runaways and gay and transgender people. He opened the Man of Korea headquarters as a shelter on May 1, 2012.
Men's rights
On January 24, 2011, Sung opened a free facility in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul for runaway husbands, young deported men, runaway teenage boys and homeless men. After a slow start, the facility took in an increasing number of people.
Man of Korea
Founding
On January 26, 2008, Sung founded Man of Korea (Korean: 남성연대, 男性聯帶) in Gangnam-gu, Seoul to promote men's rights, saying that men could be considered a minority in South Korean society. He publicly disparaged women and worked to abolish menstrual leave and other policies for working women. Opponents said that Sung's work to support the rights of men was misplaced because South Korea is a male-dominated society.
During the 2012 Korean presidential election Sung suggested abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, denying that women are a social minority and accusing Korean society of discriminating against men.
Death and impact
Preparation
In early July 2013, Sung's wife briefly left him. On July 26, he died.
See also
- Angry young man (South Korea)
- Politics of South Korea
- Na Hye-sok
- Heo Jung-suk
- Han Chi-hwan
