"Repeal It" vs "Are You Misogynistic?" 20-Year History of 'Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Abolition' Controversy... What Do You Think?

20 Years Since the Launch of the Ministry of Gender Equality under the Kim Dae-jung Government
Budget Exceeds 1 Trillion Won, Handling Various Tasks Including Women and Youth
Skeptical Views Persist... 7 out of 10 Citizens Negative
Opposition Presidential Candidates Say "Ministry of Gender Equality Should Be Abolished"
"Ineffective" vs "Just Misogyny" Citizens Debate Heatedly

Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min, who declared his candidacy for the presidency, recently questioned, "Is the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family really necessary?" and mentioned the 'abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family' theory. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF), with a 20-year history, has become embroiled in a controversy over its existence. As presidential candidates from the People Power Party have raised the issue of 'abolishing MOGEF,' conflicts are intensifying. Those advocating for abolition argue that the ministry's role is virtually ineffective and that public support is low. On the other hand, opponents counter that indiscriminately abolishing a government department that supports socially vulnerable groups is close to 'far-right populism,' leading to a fierce debate.

The 'abolition of MOGEF' was first mentioned by former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min and lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung, who recently announced their intention to run for the presidency from the People Power Party. On the 6th, Yoo wrote on his Facebook, "Is the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family really necessary?" He pointed out, "Half of the population is female, and all government departments are related to women's issues." He argued that if the policies handled by MOGEF were divided among relevant departments such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Employment and Labor, and Ministry of Justice, more efficient administration would be possible.

He added, "The minister of MOGEF is a position given as a spoil to politicians or presidential campaign personnel," emphasizing, "Budgets overlapping with other departments' projects should be used to introduce policies for young people who have completed mandatory military service."

Lawmaker Ha also wrote on Facebook, "Abolishing MOGEF does not mean abolishing women's policies. It is an era where all departments handle women's policies, so the Ministry of Gender Equality can graduate," arguing, "As MOGEF continues to exist, it has gradually transformed into a department dealing with issues other than women's problems."

He further pointed out, "The establishment of the 'Ministry of Women' had historical significance only during the Kim Dae-jung administration," and added, "Now, the Ministry of Women can graduate."

In response to these claims by opposition presidential candidates, the ruling party immediately pushed back. Former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, a ruling party presidential candidate, criticized on the 7th, "I am worried that this is a populist idea riding on hatred of a specific gender," while ruling party lawmaker Jang Kyung-tae condemned, "The pledge to abolish MOGEF ignores the value of realizing gender equality and stokes gender conflicts."

On December 19, 1997, when his presidential election was confirmed, then President-elect Kim Dae-jung and his wife Lee Hee-ho were leaving their home in Ilsan. Former President Kim contributed to women's policies by establishing the Ministry of Gender Equality in 2001. / Photo by Yonhap News

As the political sphere is engulfed in the 'existence of MOGEF' controversy, there is a view that MOGEF is facing a crisis 20 years after its establishment.

Previously, the Ministry of Women was first established during the Kim Dae-jung administration in 2001. It was later expanded and reorganized into the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family during the Lee Myung-bak administration and has continued to this day. As of this year, it has a budget of 1.2325 trillion won and about 260 employees, handling various policies such as responding to digital sex crimes and violence against women, supporting child-rearing and family services, and assisting women who have experienced career interruptions in finding employment.

Despite this broad scope of work, MOGEF has not always been a government department that received favorable evaluations from the public. According to a public opinion poll conducted in December last year by the office of People Power Party lawmaker Kim Jeong-jae, commissioned to the polling agency 'The Research,' surveying 998 adult men and women nationwide, 72.3% of respondents expressed negative opinions about MOGEF. Seven out of ten citizens held skeptical views of the ministry. Among them, women (74.3%) were more negative about MOGEF than men (71.4%).

Recently, the ministry's image suffered a significant blow amid controversy over the 'Shutdown System.' The Shutdown System, legislated through a partial amendment to the Youth Protection Act passed in 2011, primarily prohibits online game access for youths under 16 from midnight to 6 a.m. The main responsible department is MOGEF.

On May 5th last year, the Blue House posted a video showing an avatar of President Moon Jae-in created in the game "Minecraft" meeting children. / Photo by YouTube capture

Although the law was enacted to guarantee youths' right to sleep and prevent game addiction, there was backlash when the foreign game 'Minecraft,' which has recently gained great popularity among children, was classified as a 19+ game due to the Shutdown System. Microsoft, which operates Minecraft, did not create a separate Korean server that blocks users of certain ages during the Shutdown System hours but instead blocked the age group subject to the Shutdown System from understanding the game altogether.

Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, criticized the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family over the recent controversy surrounding the "Shutdown System," saying, "It's not the game that should be shut down, but the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family." / Photo by Yonhap News

In response, petitions urging the abolition of MOGEF flooded the Blue House's National Petition Board, mainly from young people, garnering tens of thousands of supporters. Lawmaker Ha remarked, "Trying to overcome incompetence with authoritarianism causes problems," and sarcastically added, "It is not the game but the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family that should be shut down."

Amid this situation, public opinion on abolishing MOGEF was divided.

A 31-year-old office worker A, working in the IT industry, said, "Just looking at the 'Shutdown System' controversy shows how ineffective MOGEF is. What does blocking children's game use have to do with women's rights?" He argued, "It doesn't mean abolishing women's policies altogether, but transferring the tasks MOGEF handled to other departments would be much more efficient."

On the other hand, another 20-something office worker B said, "Dismissing MOGEF as useless without knowing exactly what it does is just misogyny," pointing out, "MOGEF supports not only women's welfare but also runaway youth support, single-parent family assistance, and other vulnerable groups in Korea. What would happen to these struggling families if such a department were suddenly abolished and merged?"

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which marked its 20th anniversary since its launch, has been embroiled in controversy over its existence. / Photo by Yonhap News

There were also calls for MOGEF to communicate more actively with the public. C, a 30-something office worker with children, said, "I think negative opinions increase because people don't really know what MOGEF is," adding, "MOGEF should be more proactive in promoting its support projects and public relations to raise its presence."

Experts pointed out that both the political sphere and the public do not fully recognize MOGEF's usefulness and suggested the need for reform.

Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon explained, "The abolition movement led by opposition figures is partly a pledge targeting young voters, especially males, but it is also because MOGEF has been inadequate in its core duties," adding, "During the '#MeToo' movement that erupted in politics, there were many criticisms that MOGEF did not respond actively."

He continued, "To dispel such skeptical views, MOGEF also needs to change," advising, "It should show signs of reform through reorganization of its functions and changes in personnel composition."

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