Seoul Rape Medical Treatment and National Police Hospital (Located on Line 3, exit 1)

Sharing information about rape kit in Seoul from:

You Are Not Alone

First, thank you to youarenotaloneseoul for sharing this experience with us all so that we can be better informed about how get medical treatment and report rape in Seoul. This is a repost:

Where To Go: If you are raped you first instance after the shock has settled in might want to go straight to the shower to wash the filth of away, but DO NOT DO THAT! You need to go straight to the police so that they can take you to a hospital to have the DNA of the perpetrator collected from vaginal secretion cultures, clothing and saliva.  I personally, skipped the part of going to the police, because I went straight to the hospital. The hospital that I went to told me that in Seoul when these things happen (RAPE IS EXTREMELY COMMON IN KOREA BUT IS ALSO EXTREMELY UNDER REPORTED IN THE MEDIA) the place to go to is the National Police Hospital. This hospital is located on line 3 heading towards Ogeum. It’s one stop before the end of the line and the stop is called National Police Hospital. This hospital has a section that deals with sexual violence called the “One Stop Center”. You can get to the “One Stop Center” by going out of exit 1 of the National Police Hospital station and make a left walking towards a tiny bridge that takes you directly into the hospital. The hospital has an emergency room connected to it and the doctors speak enough English to help you.
How Are You “Helped”: Once in the One Stop Center inside that National Police Hospital you will have a network of people helping you. You will have detective assigned to your case who will come and question you to get your statement. If you cannot speak Korean a translator will be brought in to translate. After getting your account of what took place you will be taken into an small hospital room to be examined by the resident OB/GYN who will conduct all tests for sexually transmitted diseases and infections ,cultures will be taken to be sent to a crime lab and you will provide two urine samples. After these exams have been taken you will be given Plan B (the morning after pill), 4 antibiotic tablets to be taken at once and an antibiotic shot on the buttocks to prevent infections/diseases. This process is a bit traumatizing but needs to be done. After this you will questioned in an interrogation room which will be recorded. Police officers will be dispatched to collect the rape kit and start looking for the perpetrator. If you need to speak to councilor, because of such a traumatic experience one will be provided to you for as long as you need. Everything is kept confidential. Your school, parents, boyfriend/girlfriend shall not be contacted unless you give the staff and/or police officers permission.
How You Might Feel: You will be grateful for having such a network of people to help you, but also exhausted from the questioning and exams. Other feeling such as shock , disgust, fear, nausea, self-loathing, hate etc. I suppose will vary from person to person. Personally, I was shocked, angry, nauseous and in tears 98% of the time. Never once did I blame myself for what happened and you shouldn’t either. Rape is never the victims fault! 
How Much Will This Cost You in Medical Bills?: Everything I mentioned above is FREE. The government covers the cost. All you need to do is get yourself to this hospital.
The Outcome of My Experience: This happened to me 1 month ago so nothing is settled. I am still going to doctors visits, working with detectives to try to retrace my steps and getting all of help and support I need from the hospital staff and friends. I am extremely worried that this person might have given me HIV/Herpes/HPV, but  I won’t have peace of mine for that until 5 months from now when I would have been tested twice reaching the 6th month mark. So for now everything is pending.

Fashion: Regulating the Inner/Outer in Choson Korea

The Choson philosophy of 내외법 law governing inner and outer, or private and public life introduced new regulation of women’s movement, dress and social life in the mid and late Choson Dynasty. These changes were brought about in connection with the ranking of officials and families into a class hierarchy:

“초기에 법제적 신부은 양인과 천인으로 규정되었지만 현실적으로 분화되어 16세기경에는 양반, 중인, 평민, 천인으로 계층이 형성되었다.” “중인은 대체로 고려말 조선초에서부터 양반에서 돼되거나 양인에서 상승한 자들로서 형성되기 시작하여 조선시대 중엽에 이르러 하나의 계층으로서 확연히 모습을 드러낸 중간신분층이었다. 정3품까지 승진할 수 있는 역관, 의관, 산원, 율관 등 상급 기술관과 정7품이 한품인 천문관, 도류, 화원, 등의 하급 기술관, 그리고 녹사, 서리들이 이에 속했다 (한국고문서학회, 208).”

This post presents two issues for analysis: the regulation of women’s bodies in the public sphere, and the increasingly politically-oriented responsibilities assigned to women in the private sphere.  

First, the laws regulating women’s public sphere participation increasingly limited the roles of women in the public, and even affected the visual representation of women. According to Lee, upper-class women were required to wear a hood when they left home, while middle or lower class women should don a shawl in public:

“조선후기로 오면서 여자들은 외출할 때 남자들과 내외하기 위해 서울윗대의 양반들은 장옷을 쓰게 되었는데 중인 이하는 치마를 대신 쓰게 되었다 (한국고문서학회, 210).”

The practice of wearing a hood (yangban women) or shawl (middle class) held some women from public view, and also restricted their choices in dress. This also clearly delineated the socio-economic status of women and their husband’s political position, “조선시대 의식주와 여로 격식은 신분과 직업에 따라서 다르게 규정되었다 (한국고문서학회, 210).” 

In addition,

“yangban women were forced to get around on horseback or in a palanquin and assure that their faces were never exposed to passersby. Such palanquins were also used by female entertainers whenever they left the house and palace women when the king would set out on a journey or get married (Han, 117).”

The regulation and demarcation of class, marriage status and gender has been a feature of many societies throughout history, always requiring the internalization of and conformity to a hierarchy. Thus, these laws not only regulate what is outside or inside the home, but also what is inside and outside the body or one’s mindset.  

One comparison is contemporary debate over some Islamic traditions that require women to wear a veil. However, this practice has common roots throughout history and across many societies. According to Susan W. Schneider, in the Jewish faith a veil signified nobility and high social standing, so women of middle class background would don the veil to model elite Jewish society. Likewise in many Christian faiths there are traditions of head-covering. According to St. Paul, “A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head" (I Corinthians 11:3-10).” In the church of Latter Day Saints (LDS) some Mormons don a special undergarment that covers parts of the body to keep them from view. The common basis between Confucian, Islamic, Jewish, LDS and Christian thought is that the veil symbolically regulates women’s virtue, and also places them in a position subordinate to men.

Second, due to the philosophical link between a harmonious home life and public prosperity, the everyday life and responsibilities of yangban and some countryside posts or lower level official’s mothers, wives and daughters transformed to conform to high expectations of morality and hospitality for the social advancement of the family. Within the home, hosting guests and performing with skill in culinary preparation and overseeing entertainment held symbolism beyond merely rubbing elbows with high ranking officials, but represented the harmony and success of the household. Outside the home, strict conformity to one’s class status was demanded, with transgressions bringing shame to one’s family if not appropriately attired:

여자들은 남편의 벼슬이나 본가의 신부에 따라 역시 복장을 달리했다. 또한 양반여자들은 치마를 왼쪽으로 여며 입었는데 만일상민이 그렇게 입으면 망신을 당하고 쫓겨났다고 한다 (한국고문서학회, 210).

At the same time, conformity to the law would benefit one’s family:

“Women who preserved their chastity were rewarded in many different ways. For example, while women from the yangban class saw their families designated as honorable families, commoner families found themselves exempt from corvée labor. Meanwhile, in the case of the lowborn women, these were given the opportunity to gain commoner status (myŏnchŏn). Such awards placed extra pressure on women to maintain their virtue and to obey their parents and parents-in-law (Han, 118).”

Thus, women’s virtue could affect family prosperity, and a woman highly skilled in household management might project a powerful image of her spouse and family, extending into the public sphere by hosting guests. 

The legacies of private-public division of men and women still resonate in politics today, in Korea and around the world. For example, how does the symbolism of the First Lady in America compare with the Choson philosophy toward inside-outside representation of the household head in political affairs? How (or rather, why) do Michelle Obama and Ann Romney reflect on their husband’s image, campaign success and leadership?

References:

한국고문서학회 엮음. 조선시대 생활사, 역사비평사 [3부 신분별 생활상], 1995.

Han, Hee-sook. Women’s Life during the Chosŏn Dynasty. International Journal of Korean History (Vol.6, Dec. 2004)

Susan W. Schneider, Jewish and Female (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1984) p. 237.

Sherif Abdel Azim, Ph.D. - Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, posted at http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/w_islam/veil.htm

Images:

얌전한 옛사진속의 조선 미녀, http://blog.joinsmsn.com/media/folderlistslide.asp?uid=eskang&folder=1&list_id=12568176

김준근 훈례

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Imbalance of Power and Rape in the Korean Gay Community (Queer Corner)

Contributor Enzo Cho-Gath writes:

Throughout history, rape has been used as a tool to control populations, especially women (discussed elsewhere on this blog). Rape was a common enough occurrence in ancient Israel that they even passed laws for dealing with the after effects- if the female gets pregnant, he should marry her. As is typical in patriarchal societies, the will of the women is constantly erased as she remains a silenced victim, treated by the law as little more than a dumping ground for male hormones.

Even in modern-day America, rape and its definition is still being fought over by different groups. Date rape, 'forcible rape', 'rape-rape' and other ridiculous terms are constantly thrown around to legitimize discrimination against women and to silence victims at every possible term. Unfortunately, the fact that males can be victims of rape is often overlooked, and that is what we are going to look at in this column.

The concept of date-rape is often absent in Korean discourse. In fact, when trying to ask a few mid-20s Koreans I know even how to properly say the word in Korean, two of them said that it was a word I'd never need and refused to continue the conversation. The third honestly was uncomfortable but let me know later it was 강간  (or rape).

The very discomfort people show in discussing rape demonstrates the power it holds over victims in society. I've heard story after story about rapes occurring but have never directly heard a  Korean friend  call it a rape- typically they mitigate the circumstances, pretend it was consensual, or blame the victim even when they are the victims themselves. A conversation on a gay networking site shed some light on just how stringent the problem is here.

애: 안하고싶긴 했어옄
Him: I didn't want to do it but I did haha
나: 그건 강간아니지???
Me: Isn't that rape??
애: 어떤분이랑 데이트? 했어요 ㅋㅋ 근데 그 분이 계속 술을 주는거예여 근데 한국예의가 어른이 주는 술은 먹어야 혜의가 있는거예여 주는대로 먹었다가..ㅋ 뻗어서 모텔 갔음....ㅋ 그날 집에 갓긴 했는데 밤에 느읒게~ ㅋ
Him: I went on a date with someone, but he kept giving me alcohol. Korean etiquette is that you drink whatever someone older than you gives you [ed: especially if they're paying], so I drank what he gave. Then he took me to a motel. I went home that night but very late.
나: 아...그럼 그놈이랑 섹스???
Me: Uh, did you have sex?
애: 그런셈이죠 근데 저두 좋아서 그런지 반항은 안한것같아요.
Him: Basically, but I liked [it/him] so I guess I didn't say no.

This is a pretty common story, made all the more alarming by the fact that it was being told by a 17 year old about an event that had happened over two years prior, when he was just 15. After some further discussion, he continued to refuse to call it rape, only saying that if he didn't want to have sex, he shouldn't have met the 26 year-old who raped it. He blamed himself and said he probably wanted it anyways.

So what we have is a 26 year old buying a 15 year old alcohol and taking him to a hotel and raping him, but the victim himself doesn't acknowledge the situation as rape because he blames himself (also note that these ages follow  Korean age conventions- that means that according to birthdate a 24/25 year-old man raped a 13/14 year-old middle school student). The boy continued to insist it was his fault and that he just doesn't meet that guy anymore- so it's all okay. It's not like he was murdered.

In addition to the lack of awareness that date rape IS rape, there seems to be a cultural reluctance to see that power imbalances play a big role in sex and rape. This is a big issue in America as well, especially when managers seduce or pressure employees into sex. Even in the gay community, there seems to be this misconception that any male who has sex has wanted it and that it's not 'real rape' if the victim is a bottom. This ridiculous concept is never better illustrated than in the constant jokes about how gay men must love prison.

Especially in a culture in which men must follow their 'older brother' (형), it's extremely difficult for a young gay man to ever feel truly safe on a date. There is an overall cultural idea that forming a friendship outside of your birth year (known as '동갑친구') is difficult and maybe impossible; age differences even as slight as a year lead to burdens such as the example above with alcohol. Even if someone a year older than me were to pour me alcohol, it would be rude of me to reject it, extremely rude if they're paying. When you have cultural pressures that fall so heavily on these young students, it's no wonder that they don't want to call it rape- in many of their minds, it's just an inevitable part of dating culture.

I remember a few personal experiences of attempted rape when I lived in Seoul. The first was at a Jongro bar in which I was drinking very heavily with a group of acquaintances. An older gentlemen, at least ten years my senior, came over with a bottle of soju and proceeded to continue getting me drunk while the guys I was with began partnering off for the night. He began stroking my leg and telling me how I would make such a cute bottom, and one of the guys I was with actually egged him on, saying that I should take this as a compliment. When I did not, they said I shouldn't be rude or make a scene- just follow hyung (형, older brother), do what he says- it's polite, it's Korean culture, they claimed, ashamed of my rudeness.

I tried rejecting the alcohol, much to the embarrassment of my party, and after just ten minutes, the older man attempted to take me to a motel, presumably before I sobered up. I had to physically push him off of me, again to the embarrassment of my party, and stormed out, running around a few corners to keep the pervert from following me before I could grab a taxi.

Another time was at a club in Itaewon when a man much larger than me grabbed my arm, pulling me through a busy crowd, and into the bathroom. I had seen him many times before but we had never talked, he seemed shy around strangers, but I thought maybe he just wanted to talk- after all, the bathroom was the quietest place in the building and using it as a place to talk was common. I asked what he wanted and he responded by shoving his hands down my pants and saying that he wanted to fuck me in the bathroom. I politely said no, then I hit him, and left for the night.

Looking back, I realize that these events may not be representative of what happens every single day in Korea. But the fact that these two attempted rapes on someone as visible as a (at that time) blonde white person took place at two extremely popular and busy venues for gays, it only makes me all the more concerned about what is happening at the smaller venues that slips past the eye because consent is so difficult to discuss, let alone see from a distance. Even more so I am concerned that younger gay men may not have opportunities to discuss consent and that prevailing attitudes toward age hierarchy add a power dynamic that could promote rape culture within the gay community in Korea.

All I can say is that I sincerely hope that there are opportunities for change in the near future. Rape is never a joke and is never okay, under any circumstances. I'm thankful even for the vocabulary that I have to discuss- I know what rape is, but even for me, discussing the exact boundaries for what consent is can be tricky. I wish that there were opportunities for young gays to learn about consent and rape so that they can avoid the pain and shame that so many others seem to believe is nothing more than inevitable.

So that means that the question truly is "How do we educate ourselves about consent?"

UPDATE: We have reposted information about how to secure medical treatment and police support in case of sexual violence at this link.

At this point the Korean Gender Café would like to identify additional support resources for rape victims or for gay community members, but this is a work in progress (we welcome you to provide information in the comments section and thank you for your contributions here!)

Adaptable Human Services seems to have services in English and in Korean for therapy, or might have referral suggestions (this is not an endorsement by our blog) Website: http://ahskorea.com/