As in the Mediterranean and most of the other parts of the world, Korea in the Neolithic era was a matriarchal society. The so called Hong San culture of Ancient Korea, now in north-eastern China, proves it with many remains including the ‘Goddess of Fertility’. However, with the establishment of political community and patriarchy in 3 millennium BC, it changed to a male dominant society. During the Three Kingdom and Unified Shilla Period, Koreans enjoyed relatively free sex and intermarriage was not strange, especially in the Royal Family of Shilla. Unlike in China.
Confucianism was not widely distributed until late 14th century. The foundation ideology of Chosun Dynasty’s was, however, neo-Confucianism modified by Chu Shi, women’s life started to be tough. Chastity was highly valued but only to women. They had no right whatsoever at home or in society. A high class woman could only go out of her house with good reason and her husband’s permission. She should not meet any strange man and could not remarry even after being widowed. Man, however, may have many sex partners and have concubines and these situations remained so until Kaboh Reformation in 1894.
Amorous clay figures of Shilla, a girl living in a future husband’s house, woman’s long hood dress, avoid society with the opposite sex, lady’s ornamental silver knife, surrogation through an unknown partner, agreed kidnap marriage for the widow, a piece of collar jacket as a proof of divorce, unique erotic paintings and coin charms, lascivious narrative songs, a thousand year history of Gisaeng, courtesans, women’s very short jacket to expose breasts are some of the examples of peculiar sex history in Korea. In early 20th century, Japan introduced their sex cultures to Korea and then, licensed prostitution was propagated in many cities. During WWII, many young women suffered to serve as sex slave for the soldiers.
Reference: Kim WW, Sex History of Korea (韓國性史), Booklab Publishing, Seoul, 2015.
