On January 12 2024, the Korean Ministry of Public Administration and Security announced an idea that sparked widespread citizen anger.

The proposal involves changing the emergency exit symbol depicting a person running.

The Korean Ministry of Public Administration and Security said that they might change the image of a running person in pants with one wearing a dress and having long hair.

The rationale behind this change was to address concerns that the original depiction might be perceived as applicable only to men, thus lacking inclusivity for all genders.

However, this decision provoked strong opposition from Korean citizens.

Before looking into the reasons for their discontent, it is essential to explore the origin of the emergency exit concept and its associated imagery.

The emergency exit symbol was made in England following the tragic 1883 Victoria Hall disaster in Sunderland, which claimed the lives of over 180 children.

In response, the British government took legal measures to enforce minimum safety standards for buildings, giving rise to the emergency exit.

The evolution of emergency concepts continued beyond England’s response to the Victoria Hall disaster.

The symbolic image associated with emergency exits was later created following a 1972 fire at Japan’s Sennichi Department Store.

Following the criticism that existing exit signs were challenging to identify, the Japanese government designed emergency exit pictograms, which were subsequently submitted to the International Standardization Organization to become global standards.

Korea adopted the current emergency exit image in 1992.

In response to the criticism that it was difficult to identify emergency exit signs during the 1972 fire at Japan's Sennichi Department Store, the Japanese government invited emergency exit pictograms and submitted them to the International Standardization Organization to become international standards.

And Korea has been using the current image since 1992.

Returning to the controversy in Korea, citizens expressed their dissatisfaction primarily due to the perceived unreasonableness of the Ministry’s proposal.

Critics argued that the claim of potential gender inequality misunderstanding was unfounded, as most people do not associate the existing image exclusively with men.

The biggest reason that made Korean citizens angry is because it is too unreasonable.

The Korean Ministry of Public Administration and Security claimed that might cause misunderstanding of gender equality but anyone thinks the emergency exit image is for only men.

Some citizens questioned the Ministry’s assumptions about women’s attire and hairstyles, arguing that such ideas further perpetuated gender stereotypes and hindered progress toward equality.

One of Korean members of Parliament, Eun Ah Huh criticized the Ministry’s proposal on social media, saying, “Do not make a joke with the Korean citizens’ taxes. In the bathroom, we need to distinguish men and women with the images.”

Nevertheless, some individuals believe that the current emergency exit image implies that only men should evacuate during emergencies.

As the controversy escalated, the Korean Ministry of Public Administration and Security informed citizens that no detailed decisions had been made at that time.

Allen Kim

Grade 9

St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju