Still Bound by Gender Role Stereotypes: Government Promotional Materials Urging "Be Manly" and "Be Womanly"...

"Men Only After Military Service" Controversy Over Military Manpower Administration Promotional Video
Civilians Criticize "Forcing Masculinity by Highlighting Military Specs"
Experts Say "'Acting Like a Woman or a Man' Enforced Gender Roles Are Outdated"

On the 5th, a "Military Enlistment Promotional Video" was uploaded to the official YouTube channel of the Military Manpower Administration. It contains messages such as "A man who has served in the military is a confident man," drawing criticism for "dividing active duty and public service." / Photo by Military Manpower Administration YouTube capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Recently, the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) released a "military enlistment promotional video" containing content that stirs conflict, such as "A man who has completed military service is a confident man" and "If you have to serve in the military anyway, you should properly serve as an active duty soldier." This has sparked controversy. Criticism has arisen that the video disparages social service agents (supplementary service) and spreads the incorrect perception that "only those who have served active duty are manly."

Experts pointed out that the government's promotional materials are trapped in outdated "gender role stereotypes" that dictate how men and women should behave.

On the 5th, the MMA uploaded a video titled "Stories about Military Life from a Friend" on its official YouTube channel. The video shows two friends?one an active duty soldier on leave and the other about to enlist?talking about military life and the enlistment system.

The problematic part comes when the active duty soldier explains that he was originally classified as Grade 4 (supplementary service) due to being overweight during the military physical examination but enlisted as an active duty soldier after losing weight through the MMA's "Super Himchani Program." The Super Himchani Program supports costs for those who received Grade 4 or 5 classifications due to vision or weight issues and wish to enlist as active duty by providing assistance from hospitals, fitness clubs, etc.

When the active duty soldier says, "I applied for the Super Himchani Program because I felt my personality would only allow me to serve if I did so as an active duty soldier," one friend replies, "Well, with your personality, you have to serve in the military to confidently say you're a man anywhere." The active duty soldier also says, "We all have to serve in the military anyway. If that's the case, I just want to serve properly (as active duty)."

The comments on the video were flooded with criticism accusing it of "dividing active duty and public service." There were also points raised that the video reinforces gender role stereotypes by implying "only those who served active duty are manly." Netizens strongly reacted with comments like "If you haven't served active duty, are you not a man?" "I can't believe the government promotional materials still use such outdated phrases like 'men should~' in the 21st century," and "Now they're even using military service as a qualification to force masculinity."

Promotional material related to the Labor Standards Act by the Ministry of Justice. It was criticized for depicting men having a meeting while a woman is shown doing copying work on the side, portraying women as secondary figures. Photo by National Human Rights Commission

Men having a meeting, women working

There have been previous controversies over discriminatory and prejudiced messages in government public promotional materials. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) monitored hate speech in promotional materials from 18 government ministries between March and May and identified a total of 760 cases of sexist expressions. By type, these included gender representation imbalance (34.5%), gender role stereotypes and prejudices (27.7%), and family-related stereotypes and prejudices (19.6%).

As an example of inappropriate expressions, the Ministry of Justice was criticized for depicting men holding meetings while women were shown doing photocopying tasks beside them in promotional materials related to the Labor Standards Act, portraying women as secondary and peripheral figures. The Ministry of Environment faced criticism for fixing family roles by gender in holiday promotional materials, showing women preparing food and shopping while men performed driving and ancestral rites.

Additionally, the NHRCK pointed out that women are often depicted in government promotional materials wearing skirts, high heels, false eyelashes, makeup, and red-colored clothing (while men are shown in blue-colored clothing), reinforcing stereotypical gender images. Generally, men are framed as active and proactive beings, while women are portrayed as passive beings who only receive help.

The controversial MMA video is also criticized for solidifying gender role stereotypes by defining "manliness" as something that is difficult to claim confidently unless one has served active duty.

The NHRCK emphasized that government promotional materials "tend not to sufficiently reflect diversity, still use expressions or images containing prejudice and stereotypes, and discriminatory or derogatory expressions appear intertwined with outdated expressions as hate speech," and stated that "fundamental measures such as education to enhance public officials' human rights sensitivity must be prepared."

Experts suggested that public promotional materials should be handled carefully in terms of expression and depiction, as they greatly influence public perception. Kim Jihak, director of the Korea Diversity Research Institute, said, "Patriarchal society imposes 'femininity' on women but also forces men with the responsibility to be 'manly.' The conscription system deprives citizens of bodily freedom in the name of war. The MMA's promotional materials spread the wrong perception that military service is something men must endure, that men protect their families and country through military duty and must naturally sacrifice. It is a shameful frame that fails to embrace the fact that there can be various kinds of people in the world."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.