Based on the 2019 Korean Film Industry Sexual Violence/Sexual Harassment Research Summary, published by The Center for Gender Equality in Korean Film, “DeunDeun”, here is a detailed breakdown of the prevalence, types, context, and gender-specific statistics related to sexual harassment and sexual violence against women in the industry:

🔢 Prevalence of Sexual Harassment / Sexual Violence (Females)

  • Lifetime prevalence (entire period working in the industry):
    • 74.6% of women reported experiencing sexual harassment or violence.
    • 37.9% of men reported similar experiences.
    • Overall average across genders: 58.3%.
  • In the last two years (2018–2020):
    • 50.0% of women experienced sexual harassment or violence.
    • 18.5% of men.
    • Overall: 36.0%.

💬 Types of Sexual Violence Experienced by Women (last 2 years unless otherwise stated):

Type of Harassment Women (%) Men (%)
Sexual comparison / comments on appearance 40.2 14.5
Obscene comments and sexual jokes Higher rate in women (exact not broken down) –
Forced alcohol pouring / unwanted party attendance 20.0 5.9
Persistent questioning about sex life / orientation Higher rate in women (exact not broken down) –
Unwanted physical contact / coercion 5.8 –
Stalking or continuous harassment Lower than above, but still present –

Women consistently experienced higher rates across all categories of sexual harassment and violence compared to men.

👨‍💼 Profile of Perpetrators

  • Gender: 81.7% male perpetrators overall.
    • 88.7% of female victims were harassed/assaulted by men.
  • Position:
    • 65.3% were superiors.
    • 28.3% were peers.
  • Age: Most common age groups were 40s (52%) and 30s (37.3%).
  • Job group of perpetrators:
    • Shooting/lighting (47.3%),
    • Producers (31.0%),
    • Directors (30.3%),
    • Actors (10.3%).

🧭 Where and When It Occurred

  • Location:
    • Drinking parties (hoesik): 48.3%
    • Filming sites: 22.7%
    • Offices / collaboration spaces: 13.3%
  • Stage:
    • Production stage: 47.7%
    • Pre-production: 22.0%
  • Female victims reported high incidence during active production and in informal settings like drinking parties.

🧑‍🎓 Correlations with Position and Employment Type

  • Women in non-regular employment and lower-ranking positions were disproportionately affected.
  • Film workers in art/props (42.3%) and makeup/costume (44.0%) occupations reported the highest rates among job categories.
  • Women in male-dominated roles (e.g., shooting/lighting) were also highly exposed.

⚠️ Reporting Behavior and Psychological Impact

  • 51.0% of respondents chose to “endure it and let it pass.”
    • More men (68.3%) than women (47.4%) chose this route.
  • Reasons for non-reporting:
    • “Didn’t think it was a big problem” – 57.4% men, 33.7% women.
    • Fear of career damage, industry rumors, lack of trust in organizational response.
  • Aftereffects for women:
    • 30.4%: Felt pathetic.
    • 28.3%: Wanted to leave the film industry.
    • 22.6%: Decreased motivation or concentration.
    • 17.3%: Anxiety, depression, fear.

2019-Sexual-Violence·Sexual-Harassment-in-the-korean-film-industry-Research-summary