Poet and ColumnistThe phrase "Bad money drives out good" is a theory by Sir Thomas Gresham, an English merchant and financier of the 16th century. This theory is not limited to monetary economics but is understood as a universal truth applicable to politics, society, and culture today. 

I believe that today, there are no men in their 20s and 30s in South Korea who are as emotionally stable as them. They are capable, possess economic power, and have tall, handsome faces with polite demeanor. Furthermore, their neat attire and walking style exude a high level of intellectual sophistication.

While "intellectual" generally refers to educational attainment, South Korean men in their 20s and 30s possess a neat and elegant aura along with high academic achievements. The same applies to teenagers. They have a distinct dignity that sets them apart from Chinese or Japanese people; they possess an air of refinement.

Yet, there are reports that these young men are increasingly choosing international marriages, abandoning South Korean women. "Why?" one might ask. In a country with groups like BLACKPINK, TWICE, and NewJeans, why would Korean men choose foreign women over Korean women?

The mid-1980s, around the time of the student activism movement on university campuses, was likely when the women's movement in South Korea was actively unfolding. The restoration of human rights for oppressed women was a critical issue for our society then. In patriarchal families and society, women were forced to live silently, enduring the sorrow of being abandoned and ignored.

I firmly believe that South Korean women played a significant role in South Korea's modernization and economic prosperity. I assert that without women stepping forward to manage households and taking jobs in textile factories to support their younger brothers' education, modern-day South Korea would not exist.

We can confidently say that as the latent power of women joined our society, propelled by the winds of modernization, we were able to achieve our dream of becoming a developed nation.

The problem arose when the women's movement went too far and evolved into feminism. As women's economic capabilities became comparable to men's, they desired independence from less capable men. This led to an increase in divorce rates and family breakdowns, with accompanying detrimental effects growing.

Furthermore, with the abolition of the adultery law, there were accounts of women cheering and applauding in places like cabarets and nightclubs. This indicated a problem with their mindset, and women were crossing the boundaries of morality.

As women moved beyond gender equality towards a female-dominant era, what were Korean men thinking?

During the active period of the women's movement, I witnessed the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family attempting to block the broadcast of the Miss Korea pageant. The stated reason was the commodification of sex, and in addition, female activists argued for the equality of beauty. This was a socialist logic asserting that both beautiful and unattractive women possess the same rights.

Beauty cannot be equal; it is a matter of the most personal value. Everyone has different preferences and is born with different faces. To expect the same standards and treatment is a ridiculous delusion. It's akin to suggesting that Democratic Party members Choi Min-hee or Seo Young-kyo should be hired as airline flight attendants or cosmetic advertisement models.

The leaders of this women's movement were mostly combative activists, and many of them entered politics. As a result, elegance has disappeared from South Korean politics.

No man loves a rough and aggressive woman. A man who has experienced off-putting situations, such as being yelled at or confronted, does not smile in front of women. Consequently, men who have lost their smiles are becoming common. It is from this fact that men feel disrespected by women in families and society that we must understand the increasing issue of international marriages.

The men standing in front of women's restrooms at highway rest stops, holding their girlfriends' bags or outerwear, are the men of South Korea. It is also the men of South Korea who do not let women carry their own luggage. When the cold wind blows, it is the men of South Korea who open their coats to pull their women into their embrace.

To express it poetically, South Korean men do not fall asleep before their loved ones. On a cold dawn night, with a heart that would pull down the starlight from the distant sky to cover them. South Korean men do not sleep before their beloved women.

Choi Mina-soo, born in Sydney, who won "Miss Earth," one of the world's four major beauty pageants, in 2022. She conveyed her message of "empathy" to people worldwide. Although I learned of this fact later, we were completely unaware of this news at the time.

Our desire for Miss Chunhyang or Miss Korea pageants is not solely for worldly enjoyment. They serve as an opportunity to observe how Korean beauty is evolving, the changes in beauty standards, and can also serve as an inspiration for many women regarding self-care and grooming.

The South Korea of today has lost the positive motivation to cultivate oneself to be more beautiful, more elegant, and more gentle. It is a world where beautiful women are hidden away, and only unattractive activists linger in sight. In a reality where femininity is increasingly disappearing, there are no men left who would want to love Korean women.

Consequently, South Korean men in their 20s and 30s are leaving, abandoning Korean women. 

Japanese women, who have a healthy mindset, believing they can start even in a rooftop apartment if they love someone. Women from the five Central Asian countries, who are content with even small things and do their best for their families. Russian, Ukrainian, and Greek women, who possess Venus-like beauty yet diligently raise two or three children and take care of their families.

A mountain path lined with autumn leaves at a mountain temple. Her body temperature felt through my palm, a heart that reddens with every step. A heart waiting for a snowy day while painting fingernails with touch-me-not flower dye. A love that pulls down the starlight to cover her and watches over her until she sleeps, guarding the night.

However, although we know that giving love is happier than receiving it, the world is such that the unattractive drive out the attractive. I, too, have long abandoned my male emotions, seeing the unattractive members of the Democratic Party in the National Assembly where "bad money" reigns. 

Poet and Columnist