South Korea’s “overexposure law” might ‘ban’ miniskirts
South Korea’s new “overexposure law” threatens to fines individuals 50,000 KRW ($45) for being “overexposed” in public.
The law, which came into effect on March 22, defines “overexposed” as:
anyone who shows their bare skin excessively in a public place or exposes parts of the body that should remain covered and gives feelings of embarrassment or discomfort to other people.
Given the popularity of the so-called ‘no pants look’ among female K-Pop celebrities who ditch pants in favor of revealing miniskirts and micro shorts, the law has received a storm of criticism from South Korean celebrities. Many celebrities have taken to social media to voice their concerns, some even posting pictures of themselves in suggestive clothing.
South Korean politicians were also quick to criticize newly elected president Park Geun-hye’s passage of the law as obstructing citizens’ freedom of expression. Police officials, on the other hand, claim that the new amendment does not infringe citizens’ choice of dress and is instead aimed at controlling “public nudity and public indecency.”
Still, many were quick to draw connections between the present law and South Korea’s 1970’s government legislation regulating skirt length for women and hair length for men. Democratic United Party member Ki Sik Kim is worried about the law’s implication, tweeting “Park Geun-hye’s government gives cause for concern that we are returning to the era when hair length and skirt length were regulated.”