Sung Jae-gi
A controversial South Korean activist who founded the men's rights movement there, advocating for fathers and homeless men while opposing state feminism.
1967–2013 (age 46)·South Korean activist·Birthday: September 11·Generation X
Biography
Sung Jae-gi was a polarizing and pivotal figure in South Korea's gender wars. From the mid-2000s until his death in 2013, he founded and led several organizations, most notably Man of Korea, that argued men were becoming victims of systemic discrimination. His activism, which he framed as masculinist and anti-feminist, directly challenged government bodies like the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which he sought to abolish. His methods were often theatrical and confrontational, including public protests and headline-grabbing stunts. Yet his work also had a pragmatic, compassionate side: he operated a shelter in Seoul for homeless men, male victims of violence, and LGBTQ youth, highlighting social issues that fell outside mainstream support networks. His legacy is a complex mix of grassroots aid and incendiary political rhetoric.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Sung was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Sung Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Sung's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2013Died at 46
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- Founded the influential South Korean men's rights organization Man of Korea.
- Established and operated a shelter in Seoul for homeless men and marginalized male victims.
- Led public campaigns and organizations advocating for the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.
Did You Know?
In 2013, he staged a dramatic public pledge to jump off a bridge to raise funds for his men's rights group; he was rescued but died by suicide weeks later.
His shelter provided support for a wide range of people, including gay and transgender men, which was unusual for a men's rights leader.
He was a former stockbroker before turning to full-time activism.
“A society that only protects women is an unequal society.”
