In the Early 2000S, She Was a Steadfast Supporter of Young Korean Feminists

Na Im-yun-kyung, a professor of cultural anthropology at Yonsei University in Seoul and author of the acclaimed book "The Sense of Fairness" (2023), will retire after delivering her final lecture on Feb. 27. The professor, who studied feminist pedagogy at the University of Wisconsin in the U.S., joined Yonsei's cultural studies program in March 2002 and has taught there ever since. The program was renamed the Department of Cultural Anthropology in 2016. During her tenure, Na published research on perpetrators of sexual violence on campus, humanistic reflections on social motherhood, the unique temporal sensibility internalized by Korean college students as neoliberal subjects, and critiques of the marketization of education.

Her solo book "The Birth of a Woman" (2005), which explained how daughters in South Korea are socialized into "women, sold nearly 9,000 copies across 10 printings. In the early 2000s, she was a steadfast supporter of young Korean feminists. Na said she decided to step down early to make room for younger professors.

"I thought now was the time to step back, she said. "If I leave, younger professors can come in. During the Sewol ferry disaster, current students were only 10 years old.

Feminism is a discipline about life, and since the episodes I can share with students are shrinking, I felt it would only get harder. She added: "This body may disappear, but I will remain in someone's memory. I thought it was important to live 'the present' better.

In 2007, when Korail (Korea Railroad Corp.) mass-fired KTX train attendants under then-president Lee Cheol, Na wrote two columns for the Kyunghyang Shinmun criticizing the rail company. Korail filed a criminal complaint against her for defamation and sought 100 million won in damages. She was ultimately cleared of all charges.

During this ordeal, she suffered a serious health crisis and underwent treatment. From 2018, Na served as the eighth president of the Korea Institute for Gender Equality Promotion and Education. There she was shocked to find that little had changed in male-centered, conservative structures.

She also faced backlash over a gender-awareness education video she wrote and narrated, which critics accused of treating all men as potential perpetrators. Na explained: Being a potential perpetrator means having privilege. I explained that women can also be potential perpetrators.