Nine years on, Gangnam Station murder remembered with protests and vigils

Home > National > Social Affairs

Nine years on, Gangnam Station murder remembered with protests and vigils

Published: 19 May. 2025, 10:37 Updated: 21 May. 2025, 14:13

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Protesters stage a die-in, a form of protest where demonstrators lie on the ground as though dead, in front of Exit 10 of Gangnam Station on Seoul Metro Line 2 in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on May 18. [YONHAP]

On the ninth anniversary of the Gangnam Station murder, in which a woman in her 20s was killed by a male stranger in a unisex restroom near Seoul’s Gangnam Station on May 17, 2016, women’s rights organizations held memorials and protest rallies to honor the victim and condemn ongoing gender-based violence.

At 6 p.m. on Saturday, under steady rain in front of Exit 10 of Gangnam Station on Seoul Metro Line 2, around 150 participants clad in black clothing and masks gathered to remember the victim of the case.

Organized by the Feminist Solidarity to End Gender Violence and 94 other civic groups, the memorial included chants such as “Stop killing us. We, the survivors, demand justice” and “End violence against women with feminist power.”

Protesters held placards reading “STOP Violence Against Women” and staged a die-in, a form of protest where demonstrators lie on the ground as if dead.

They demanded political accountability and called for a presidential commitment to ending violence against women, shouting slogans like “Politics must take responsibility for gender violence” and “We want a president who will be accountable for violence against women.”

“Just as women and feminists have never ceased to fight throughout history, we gather here again to continue the struggle and carve a new path,” said Park Ji-a, head of the Seoul Women’s Association Gender Equality Education Center and co-organizer of the rally.

“As the protests sparked by the Gangnam Station incident became a social movement, our voices today will pave the way forward.”

Protesters chant slogans during a rally in front of Exit 10 of Gangnam Station on Seoul Metro Line 2 in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on May 18. [YONHAP]

The women's and civic groups noted that despite continuous activism over the past nine years — including the #MeToo movement and protests against deepfake pornography — women in Korea remain exposed to violence and discrimination.

Earlier Saturday, at 3 p.m., another protest took place near Exit 1 of Mia Station on Seoul Metro Line 4 by the Coalition Against Misogynistic Violence. The group condemned a recent knife attack near the station as an act of "misogynistic terrorism" and demanded that police officially recognize it as a hate crime and conduct a thorough investigation.

The attack in question occurred on April 22, when a man named Kim Seong-jin, 33, launched a knife rampage in a supermarket near Mia Station in northern Seoul’s Gangbuk District. A woman in her sixties was killed, and another in her forties was seriously injured.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]