Miniskirt illegal in South Korea?

Saturday, 4 November 2006

Believe it or not, it is illegal to wear miniskirts and hot pants in South Korea.

Apparently, under an indecency law enforced by ruler-wielding government during authoritarian governments in the 1970s, women could be arrested or fined if they showed up in public with attires that exposed more legs. And the rules continued to stay on the books even as South Korea moved to an open democracy in the late 1980s, but of course it was no longer enforced.

Now, finally and thankfully, the country is in the final stages of revising that indecency law.

“The law for excessive exposure does not match our current society,” said Kim Jae-kwang, an official with the Korea Legislation Research Institute.

Although miniskirts and hotpants have long been a common sight in South Korea, it sure sounds reassuring to know for sure that no ladies will be incriminated for sporting short hemlines in public.