South Korea is not alone in its struggle with corporal punishment. Many countries have banned it, including Sweden, Germany, Japan, and New Zealand. But the pace of change varies widely.
In the United States, for example, spanking is still legal in all 50 states, though it is increasingly frowned upon. In many parts of Africa and Asia, physical punishment remains widely accepted. South Korea sits somewhere in the middle—legally progressive, but culturally conservative.
What makes the Korean case unique is the speed of the legal change. The 2021 amendment was a sudden, top-down shift. It did not emerge from a long grassroots movement. It was a legislative decision that surprised many citizens. This has created a gap between the law and public opinion that will take years to close.
