Bechdel Day (Korean:벡델데이) is an annual South Korean awards ceremony and event hosted by the Directors Guild of Korea (DGK) and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Film Council. Established in 2020, the event evaluates and honors gender equality in South Korean film and television, utilizing the Bechdel test alongside expanded criteria.
History
In 2020, Gender Equality Week moved from July to the first week of September to commemorate the anniversary of "Yeoyeotongmun," Korea's first declaration of women's rights on September 1. That same year, the Directors Guild of Korea (DGK) launched Bechdel Day, an event inspired by American cartoonist Alison Bechdel's the gender Bechdel test.
The event annually honors standout creators, including directors, writers, actors, and producers, who contributed to these works as "Bechdelians." It also selects ten works with high gender equality standards as the "Bechdel Choice 10." In 2022, the scope expanded to include television series under the category "Bechdel Choice 5," before expanding to a full selection of ten series in 2023.
Criteria
The initiative evaluates media using the "Bechdel Test 7," which builds upon the traditional Bechdel test by incorporating four additional criteria, as follows:
There are at least two named female characters.
The female characters have a conversation with each other.
Their conversation is not solely about male characters.
At least one key crew member (director, producer, screenwriter, or cinematographer) is a woman.
The work features a solo female protagonist, or balances the roles and importance of male and female leads equally.
The content is free from hatred or discriminatory views toward minorities.
Female characters are portrayed without relying on stereotypes.