"This is why they want to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality"… Democratic Party criticizes recall of sex education books

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Lee Jung-ok Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Democratic Party lawmakers strongly criticized the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's hasty recall of children's sex education books after receiving criticism that the "expressions were explicit."

On the 1st, Democratic Party lawmaker Donggeun Shin pointed to Minister of Gender Equality and Family Jeongok Lee during the full meeting of the Gender Equality and Family Committee, saying, "Far-right media and religious-related media led this criticism," and asked, "Do you change government policies overnight just because far-right media criticize them?" Shin added, "Women's organizations are also demanding the continuation of the project," and criticized, "Do you blindly withdraw policies just because issues arise without certainty? This is why petitions to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family are being submitted." Fellow party member Insook Kwon also argued, "There is a broad consensus in most Western countries to provide sex education based on accurate sexual knowledge and information," and stated, "The recall of the books failed to meet the demands of the field."

Minister Lee Jeongok responded to the criticism by explaining, "This is more of a social enterprise cooperation project than a government policy," and said, "We met with a parent group, but since one of the parents tested positive for COVID-19 (novel coronavirus infection), and Ministry staff had to undergo active monitoring, we judged it difficult to obtain parental consent and decided to recall the books."

When lawmaker Kwon asked, "This incident has caused regression in perceptions of sex education. How will you take responsibility?" Minister Lee avoided direct comments on her position, stating, "We will strengthen sexual rights education and develop content." In response to Democratic Party lawmaker Jungjoo Yoo's question about whether there is any intention to cancel the recall, she expressed reluctance, saying, "In a situation where conflicts are escalating due to COVID-19, this seems to provoke further conflict."

Earlier, on the 27th of last month, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family recalled certain types of the sex education book 'Nadawoom Children's Book' that sparked obscenity controversy. The books in question were selected after review by experts including elementary school teachers, children's and youth literature writers and critics, and picture book authors. However, these materials are also used as children's human rights education resources in countries such as Denmark, Sweden, France, Australia, and Japan.

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