[Asia Exclusive] Religious Groups Oppose Redefinition of Family... Jeong Young-ae Says "Unrelated to Same-Sex Marriage"

Promoting Legal Amendments to Eliminate Policy Blind Spots
Also Advancing Support for Single-Person Households by Life Cycle

Jeong Young-ae, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 11th at the Minister's office of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in the Government Seoul Office Building. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Jeong Young-ae, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, clarified that the religious community's concerns about the ‘legalization of same-sex marriage’ are unfounded while prioritizing the task of changing the definition of ‘family,’ which has been defined only by marriage and blood relations.

Minister Jeong explained, "The structure and values of families are changing rapidly, but there are opposing voices at the stage of legal revision," adding, "The legalization of same-sex marriage requires a constitutional amendment, and it is not at all related to the current basic plan or the amendment of the Framework Act on Healthy Families."

According to a survey by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, 69.7% of the public consider people who share livelihood and residence as family, even if they are not related by marriage or blood. The ministry is pushing for a legal amendment to remove the definition of family from the Framework Act on Healthy Families. This is to eliminate discrimination against diverse families and address policy blind spots.

Minister Jeong said, "I understand that the religious community does not oppose the purpose of the legal amendment itself," and added, "I also understand that various measures to realize the purpose of the legal amendment are being discussed in the National Assembly."

Viewing marriage or childbirth as a ‘choice’ clearly reflects the changing values regarding family. According to the ministry’s family status survey, 46.6% of people in their 20s agree with non-marital cohabitation, 53.0% with singlehood without marriage, and 52.5% with childlessness. In last year’s social survey by Statistics Korea, the approval rate for non-marital cohabitation was 78.6% among people in their 20s and 74.2% among those in their 30s. The ministry’s perspective is that policy improvements should be made in a direction that respects the right to choose family members.

Minister Jeong stated, "Both men and women in their 20s and 30s recognize ‘work’ as their top life task and feel a heavy burden regarding roles and relationships within the family," emphasizing, "Policy approaches that consider the changes in the era surrounding personal life such as marriage, childbirth, and family composition, as well as the value changes of the younger generation, are necessary."

She added, "We plan to focus on creating a gender-equal labor market that guarantees the right for both men and women to work and care, and to expand various social care services," and further noted, "We will also promote support plans for social networks according to the life cycle of single-person households, including youth, middle-aged, and elderly."

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