Sung Jae-gi
Sung Jae-gi | |
|---|---|
 Sung in 2013 | |
| Born | September 11, 1967 |
| Died | July 26, 2013 (aged 45) |
| Cause of death | Suicide by drowning |
| 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 |
| Website | Twitter account |
Sung Jae-gi (Korean: 성재기; [səːŋ dʑɛgi]; September 11, 1967 – July 26, 2013) was a South Korean men's rights activist. Sung was the leader of various masculinist and anti-feminist organizations, including the Association of Anti-Feminism and Male Liberation, Association for the Abolition of the Ministry of Women, and Man of Korea. Sung also ran a shelter for homeless men, male victims of violent crime, teenage runaways, and gay and transgender men.
Near the end of his life Sung was reportedly up to ₩100 million in debt. On July 25, 2013 he posted on the Man of Korea website his intention to commit suicide. The next day, Sung jumped from the Mapo Bridge in Seoul. His body was found four days later.
Career
[edit]He spent his early twenties as an insurance salesman, briefly managing his own business.[1] In 2006, he operated a night club in Daegu.[2]
During the early 2000s, Sung joined the South Korean men's rights movement and campaigned for a variety of causes. In 2006, he founded the Association of Anti-Feminism for the Liberation of Men (반페미니즘남성해방연대), and in 2007 he founded the Association for the Abolition of the Ministry of Women (여성부폐지운동본부). In 2013, both groups had several thousand members.[3]
Sung founded masculinist organization Man of Korea.[4]
Positions
[edit]In 1999, Sung opposed abolishing the South Korean military's bonus-points system (군 가산점; 軍 加算點) and military veterans' compensation.[5] In October 2001 the system was found unconstitutional and repealed, with Sung advocating its reconstruction.[6]
He publicly disparaged women and worked to abolish menstrual leave and other policies for working women.[7] Opponents said that Sung's work to support the rights of men was misplaced because South Korea is a male-dominated society.[7][8] On October 3, 2012, he controversially posted on his Twitter account: "You [Korean women] should be ashamed of yourselves. Why are you making such a fuss about menstruating when the nation's birthrate is the lowest in the world?"[9][3]
Sung opposed restrictions on access to internet pornography until his death, arguing that it reduced the number of sex crimes.[10][11]
Sung ran a shelter and job placement agency for homeless or unemployed men, including young male runaways, gay, and transgender men.[12]
During the early 2010s, he was an activist for the abolition of women-only facilities.[13]
Suicide
[edit]Preparation
[edit]In early July 2013, Sung's wife briefly left him.[14] On July 25, he declared himself a victim of reverse discrimination and announced his intention to commit suicide. Sung jumped from the Mapo Bridge into the Han River, leaving a note saying that he would risk his life to raise ₩100 million (about $94,000) in donations to pay debts owed by Man of Korea.[15]
He posted on the organization's website, "Dear citizens, I plan to jump off a bridge over the Han River. I hope you give us a last chance. Please lend us 100 million won which will be used for paying back debt and seed money of our organization".[16] Sung's announcement was met with indifference.[17] "Ridiculous. He is begging for money and he's holding himself as a hostage", read a post on the Man of Korea homepage. Another read, "Threat fund-raiser? That's creative. Just jump off the bridge like you promised".[17]
Sung later said that he did not intend to commit suicide, but wanted to draw attention to his group; he would jump, whether or not he received the money. He posted on Twitter, "Why do you all assume that jumping off the bridge will kill me? I have complete confidence in my survival", and later said: "Please regard my actions as 'trying to be less pathetic' while asking for money". Some Man of Korea members and other supporters were concerned about the jump.[18]
Jump
[edit]On July 26, 2013, Sung took a taxi from Yeongdeungpo to Mapo District with Han Seung-oh, Lee Ji-hun and five other people. Although he was accompanied by two lifeguards, it had rained heavily that day and the day before. At 3:00 pm, Sung jumped from the Mapo Bridge.[19]
Rescue efforts began at about 3:20 pm, and a broad search of the Han River was conducted.[19] Although about 30 firefighters and a helicopter searched near the Mapo Bridge, he was not found by 9 pm Friday and the search was suspended for the night.[16][20] About 50 firefighters from the Yeongdeungpo Fire Station, one helicopter and three rescue boats continued the search Saturday and Sunday; six ambulances stood by.[21]
Sung's body was found near the south end of the Seogang Bridge, connecting Yeouido to northern Seoul, on July 29.[22] He was barefoot, and his white shirt and dark-gray pants were what he was wearing when he jumped.[22] On August 1, Sung was cremated and his ashes buried in a crypt in the Gyongsan Park Cemetery (경산 공원 묘원) in Namchon (남천면), Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang.[23] There was a reported month-long increase in copycat suicides in August 2013.[24]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ ""남성-가장 위한 정책은 없는데 가족部라뇨"". 동아일보 (in Korean). January 9, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ 박유리 (August 2, 2013). "그는 제2의 '미시마 유키오'가 되고자 했나". 한겨레 (in Korean). Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ a b 이투데이 (July 29, 2013). "[예고 투신] 성재기 남성연대 대표, 그는 누구?". 이투데이 (in Korean). Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ "여성부 디도스 공격 10대 알고 보니 남성연대 前 회원｜주간동아". 주간동아 (in Korean). March 19, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ "성재기, 강용석 NLL 발언에 "욕 좀 하겠다"". 뉴스1 (in Korean). July 5, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ "성재기, 강용석 NLL 발언에 욕설…'급 사과'". sbscnbc.sbs.co.kr (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ a b "Controversial activist says will jump off bridge for cash". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ 윤민식 (July 26, 2013). "성재기, 한강서 진짜 뛰어... 마지막으로 남긴 트윗이". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on December 12, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ Menstrual leave - an entitlement men reject Koreatimes 2012.10.30
- ^ 머니투데이 (December 5, 2012). "성재기, '대통령시 정상회담 때 비키니' 낸시랭과 화해". 머니투데이 (in Korean). Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ Herald, Korea (December 17, 2012). "[Voice] Should pornography be censored?". The Korea Herald. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ 그는 제2의 ‘미시마 유키오’가 되고자 했나 Hangyeorye 2013.08.02 (in Korean)
- ^ 여성전용 흡연구역?… “남성 역차별 아니냐” 시끌 동아일보 2013.04.04 (in Korean)
- ^ "'한강 투신 예고' 성재기가 대표인 '남성연대'는 어떤 단체?". 엑스포츠뉴스 (in Korean). July 25, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ "Han River rescue team struggles with increased suicide attempts". Hankyoreh (in Korean). Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ a b "Activist's 'suicide' causes huge stir - The Korea Times". www.koreatimes.co.kr. July 26, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ a b Min-sik, Yoon (July 25, 2013). "Controversial activist says will jump off bridge for cash". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ ‘한강투신’ 성재기 실종…남성연대 “7시 불고기 파티 취소” 동아일보 2013.07.26 (in Korean)
- ^ a b "성재기 대표 투신 실종 "퍼포먼스였다"…수색 재개". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ "서울특별시 미디어재단 TBS". www.tbs.seoul.kr (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ Activist missing for 3rd day koreatimes 2013.07.28
- ^ a b "Body of male rights activist discovered - The Korea Times". www.koreatimes.co.kr. July 29, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ "남성연대 성재기 발인 "메시지 가슴에 새기겠다"". 뉴스1 (in Korean). July 31, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ "< Why >베르테르 효과, 평균 600여명 모방 자살… 최진실 때는 1008명 급증". 문화일보 (in Korean). September 11, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
External links
[edit]
- Sung Jae-gi's Twitter account (in Korean)
- Man of Korea Webpage/ 남성연대 (in Korean)