On the 22nd of March, new laws came into force in South Korea. One of the laws which has gained interest in the public eye is a law on indecent exposure. People wearing mini-skirts shorter than a certain length are to be fined ₩50,000 (around £30.00). There seems to be many flaws with this law.
I am far from a lawyer or anyone who has a full understanding of law in general. This is my personal view and opinion on the matter. I do not mean to cause any offence.
It is public knowledge that South Korea and North Korea are in constant conflict, yet the fact that one of the first laws put into place during Park Geun-hye’s presidency, is the law against short skirts, is shocking.
I do understand how a ban on mini-skirts can be a positive but this is not a law that needs to be put in place before other laws which could help the country.
Aside from me not thinking that this law is necessary, the law is not even clear enough.
According to Korea Bang, the law states:
“Those who show their bare skin excessively in a public place or expose parts of the body that should remain covered, thus making others feel embarrassment or discomfort, are guilty of indecent exposure.”
There is no particular length mentioned. This means that police officers can charge people with indecent exposure when they see fit. This is not fair as there should be a standard length put in place if this law is going to be fair and work to it’s fullest potential. It seems like not much thought has been put into this law.
In the 1970’s during Park Chung-Hee’s (Park Geun-hye’s father) presidency, also had a law in place in regards to indecent exposure and skirt lengths. During the 1970′s, there was a ban on skirts which ended higher than 20 centimetres above the knee. Mens’ hair length was also regulated.
The difference is that Park Chung-Hee made it clear what skirt length was considered as indecent exposure.
Although the Government has stated that they will publish clarification of the law and implement guidelines, I believe this law is still flawed. This is due to it’s timing and what seems to be a priority over other laws which should be implemented first.
However, as stated above, I can see positives to this law if it is looked into further.
I was shocked at the lack of length of skirts and shorts in Korea, but to me it wasn’t much of a big deal. A friend of mine said to me that she agrees with the law.
It starts with short skirts, and then it ends up being teen pregnancy and Korea turns out the same as the UK and US with crime rates increasing and a high number of teen pregnancy.
At first I thought my friend was over looking into it but then I realised it could happen. Women are seen as sexual objects in this world. Could this law be a benefit for young girls? If their Idols are wearing short skirts, teens tend to do the same in the hopes of being similar to their favourite celebrity. Therefore the banning on short skirts will mean celebrities won’t be sporting short shorts or skirts and in turn, their fans will follow them in wearing decent clothing.
Finally, when there are problems with South Korea scared of becoming under attack from North Korea launching missiles and testing underground nuclear weapon, is skirt length and indecent exposure really the first law that should be enforced in Park Geun-hye’s presidency? If so, South Korea has an interesting time a head of itself.
I hope that this changes as I want Park Geun-Hye to be a great president. As a woman, I want her to succeed and I am hopeful that she can do well in the rest of her presidency, in spite of her fathers mistakes during his presidency.
박근혜, 화이팅!!
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