“Many women comedians took the stage today, and they are all remarkable artists. What we mainly do is drag our dads' names through the mud and drag our own reputations through the mud. But we stand on stage to make people laugh and be loved. That woman is not a madwoman. She is a comedian.” (Choi Jung-yoon)

The stand-up comedy show <If a Hen Crows, the Nation Falls> held for March 8 Women's Day. At the small venue ‘Channel 1969’ in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 14 women comedians and one man comedian from across the country took the stage. There were some newly prepared jokes for ‘Women's Day’, but mostly their signature bits that brought out each one's character followed. Their jokes about women, queerness, and life fit ‘Women's Day’ perfectly.

Stand-up stages in Korea are gradually increasing, but the share of women comedians remains small. Perhaps it was pent-up thirst for shows people had not seen. This show was a smash. Tickets sold out in one minute, and the organizers added an extra performance. When even the added show sold out, Jeong Seong-eun, head of Seochon Comedy Club, posted a cheerful apology on Instagram saying, “Let's meet on Men's Day (the other days).”

We met the comedians Kang An-ri, Jeon In, Jeong Seong-eun, and Choi Gi-mun who took part in the show on the 4th at the Kyunghyang Shinmun headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. They said they want to make more people laugh while also stressing they would do comedy that does not hurt anyone.

Jeong Seong-eun, who organized this show out of the thought “Shouldn't we do something for Women's Day,” is also an essayist. A group that had formed to ‘watch’ comedy suddenly became a group for ‘writing’, and she has been on stage since 2019. Later she went to New York, encountered the open-mic culture, and founded the ‘Seochon Comedy Club’ with friends.

While preparing the show, Jeong took applications instead of selecting performers. On the 1st, the comedians gathered on the video platform Zoom (ZOOM) to review one another's bits. From rough, brash humor to biting mockery, raw language poured out, and through cycles of laughter and silence the jokes were gradually honed.

Since 2022, Choi Gi-mun has been on stand-up stages and said he wants to do material that does not upset anyone. His style is to twist everyday language to craft punch lines. “Have you heard of a ‘seven woman’? In old slang they called it a ‘hun-nyeo’. People say everyone else can tell when someone is a seven, and the person herself never knows. So I asked a friend, Am I perhaps a seven woman? I do not think I am...”

Kang An-ri said she also tries to ensure that ridicule does not turn into harm when she writes jokes. “I, too, made material about how my body changed as a pregnant woman (last year), but I do not think everything is fair game just because it is about oneself. It should not make the audience uncomfortable,” she said. Kang kept to this principle even when she did hour-long solo stand-up sets in Seoul and Busan with her full-term belly showing about a month before giving birth last year.“Being pregnant felt so great. There is a line in the subway: ‘Pink carpet for the protagonists of the future’ I cried when I saw that. That line means I am not the protagonist... Chances are you are not, either?”

Kang An-ri said, “I think a lot about the absurdities I feel in everyday life when I write comedy. Sometimes I wonder, Is it just me who is uncomfortable? But if even one person in the audience laughs, I think, Ah, it was not just me. That alone satisfies me.”

Jeon In spent about a decade as an openly queer activist and jumped into stand-up based on the experience of running a comedy-writing group during those activist days. He recently moved from his hometown, Busan, to Seoul. “Busan started to feel too small. As I did stand-up, it also felt like ‘Seoul is calling me’. I came to take over the Seoul scene.” He said, “For humor to be something other than belittlement, it needs to have subversiveness.”

He continued, “In Henri Bergson's <Laughter>, it says that ‘laughter depends on sociality.’ It means the people who will laugh at our jokes are already specific; it also seems right for each person to find the comedy that suits them. Or everyone becoming a feminist would also be one way,” he said with a laugh.

Their ultimate goal is to make more people laugh. “I want to do stand-up that makes people laugh with honest jokes. The moment you make the audience laugh, you have gained the greatest value in that scene.” (Jeong Seong-eun) “In a comedy field centered on men, a stellar woman comedian named Won So-yoon has emerged, so I think it is now women's turn. I feel like I am standing before a great priming pump.” (Choi Gi-mun) “Women comedians truly feel like hidden gems. People just do not know they exist yet; I think it is only a matter of time before they become known.” (Kang An-ri) “I only want to do as much as I can enjoy. Queer jokes are me, so I will keep doing them.” (Jeon In)

Even when it is not Women's Day, you can find them on stage. The women- and region-based comedy clubs Seochon, Busan, and Jeju Comedy Club and the women's stand-up crew ‘Bloody Funny’ announce show and open-mic schedules on Instagram. Open mics are stages anyone can take part in through advance sign-up.

“Stand-up comedy is a place where even the sight of failing is entertaining. I hope you come and take away even a small comfort of ‘Well, I am at least better than that person,’” Jeong said.