Impact of COVID-19... Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Cancels '3·8 Women's Day' Ceremony

First Government-Hosted Commemoration Ceremony Cancelled After Legal Holiday Designation
Lee Jeong-ok: "We Must Join Hands to Achieve International and Intergenerational Solidarity"

Minister Lee Jung-ok of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family / Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The 'March 8 Women's Day' ceremony was canceled this year due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Lee Jung-ok, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, stated, "We intended to hold the first government-led ceremony following the designation of the official commemorative day in 2018, but due to the spread of COVID-19, we had no choice but to cancel the event."

This Women's Day event was to focus on building international solidarity and consensus, with ambassadors from 17 countries including New Zealand, Germany, East Timor, Mexico, the United States, Bangladesh, and Sweden attending.

March 8 Women's Day commemorates the day on March 8, 1908, when American women workers rose up to demand the right to survival and suffrage. In 1975, the United Nations (UN) officially designated it as 'Women's Day,' and in Korea, it was designated as an official commemorative day through the revision of the Framework Act on Gender Equality.

The minister said, "Women who have fought with tears for a long time have joined hands to achieve international and intergenerational solidarity and have made united efforts. We will create change at the grassroots level by expanding local gender equality centers so that gender equality can be felt in daily life, and we will continuously strengthen plans for women's representation in the public sector without setbacks."

She added, "Although we cannot physically be together, our commitment to realizing gender equality is more urgent and strong than ever, and based on this solidarity, we will produce visible results."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.