The Diplomat ·Behind the news
Why China’s Internet is Talking About ‘Korean Women’
by Leyi Gao
Published 2026-07-30 00:23:00+09:00
How do you express your anger when it's only safe to borrow someone else's voice?
0:00 / 7:44 · Narrator Algieba
Context
On the Chinese internet, slogans refusing marriage and motherhood are spreading rapidly, almost always attributed to "Hannü"—Korean women. Writing on 30 July 2026, The Diplomat asks why Chinese women are using a foreign neighbor as a proxy for their own anger. The actual origin of the quotes hardly matters. Instead, the trend reveals a quiet workaround on a heavily censored internet. When criticizing your own society invites a ban, you borrow a voice from next door.