What is South Korea's 4B movement, and why is it trending in the US?

After President-elect Donald Trump's triumph against Vice President Kamala Harris successful nan 2024 statesmanlike predetermination was driven successful portion by young antheral voters, immoderate are calling for nan usage of South Korea's "4B Movement" successful nan United States. 

The statesmanlike predetermination was seen by galore arsenic a referendum connected women's rights. Trump has been found liable for intersexual abuse and defamation, and his vice president, erstwhile Ohio legislator JD Vance, has antecedently referred to immoderate women arsenic "childless feline ladies." The Harris run besides ran connected a level of supporting a woman's correct to abortion, thing that has been jeopardized successful galore states aft nan autumn of Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which Trump has taken in installments for. 

Now, immoderate women are swearing to abide by nan codification of nan "4B movement," a South Korean feminist attack that swears disconnected men. Here's what to cognize astir nan 4B movement. 

What is nan 4B movement? 

In short, nan 4B activity is simply a vow to committedness disconnected men. It is called nan 4B activity because successful Korean, nan 4 tenets each statesman pinch bi, which intends no, according to a paper published by 2 South Korean researchers astatine Yonsei University's Institute of Humanities. 

The activity specifically calls for nan refusal of making love men (biyeonae), intersexual relationships pinch men (bisekseu), heterosexual matrimony (bihon), and childbirth (bichulsan) successful consequence to what South Korean women spot arsenic a patriarchal and misogynistic culture. The activity is besides known arsenic nan "4 Nos." 

The 4B activity began successful 2017 and gained much attraction successful 2019, amid a #MeToo-style reckoning successful South Korea. Much of nan activity has been built online, wherever participants telephone themselves "anonymous women" and stock fewer individual details. It has nary charismatic activity structure. 

South Korean labourers march pinch a banner reference "To nan world of gender equality!" during a rally to people International Women's Day successful downtown Seoul connected March 8, 2024. JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images

Women successful nan federation person fought against what Human Rights Watch calls "shockingly widespread" gender-based unit and called for harsher penalties for what's called "spy cam porn." They person besides criticized nan country's utmost gender costs gap, which saw women paid 31.2% little than men successful 2022, according to nan KoreaTimes, and called retired hiring favoritism and harassment successful nan workplace. 

What effect has nan 4B activity had successful South Korea? 

The 4B activity has been arguable successful South Korea. The country's president Yoon Suk-yeol said successful 2021 that feminist movements were "blocking patient relationships" betwixt men and women successful nan nation. 

The federation has been battling a declining commencement complaint for respective years, which immoderate in installments to nan 4B movement, according to The New York Times. 

The 4B activity successful nan United States 

After Trump's predetermination triumph connected Tuesday, women connected societal media person expressed liking successful pursuing nan "4 Nos" of nan movement. Trump made strong inroads pinch young men nether 30, according to exit polls from CBS News. 

Since nan election, aggregate far-right figures person made alarming statements astir women's authorities connected societal media. White nationalist Nick Fuentes, who dined pinch Trump astatine Mar-a-Lago successful 2022, wrote "Your body, my choice. Forever." successful a widely-criticized station connected X. Similar posts person percolated crossed societal media. 

In response, women person called for an American type of nan 4B movement. Use of nan building connected societal media and successful searches has skyrocketed. Some person besides referenced "Lysistrata," a Greek drama wherever women return portion successful a activity onslaught to person nan men successful their lives to extremity a war. 

"We can't fto these men person nan past laugh… we request to wound back," wrote 1 X personification in a post that has garnered astir 450,000 likes. 

In:
• Donald Trump
• Election