Lee Jae-myung "Universal Support for Menstrual Products for Female Adolescents"

Campaign Promises Including Introduction of Automatic Registration System for Maternity Leave and Parental Leave

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, announced a gender equality pledge on the 16th.

On that day, Governor Lee stated, "Women have endured the highest level of gender wage gaps among OECD countries, hiring discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual violence in the workplace, and career interruptions. The burden of sole caregiving due to COVID-19 and the employment crisis are making women's lives even more difficult," adding, "They live with anxiety after experiencing countless forms of violence, including sexual violence, domestic violence, stalking, dating violence, as well as digital sex crimes like the Nth Room case last year."

According to the national employment insurance roadmap, he pledged to allow workers in unstable jobs such as freelancers, platform workers, special employment, and non-regular workers to use parental leave. He also promised to gradually increase the income replacement rate during parental leave.

He also pledged to introduce a system that automatically registers both parents' maternity and parental leave, aiming to raise employers' awareness of legal obligations.

He stated that victims of dating violence will receive protection equivalent to that for domestic violence victims, that the semi-prosecution clause of the Stalking Punishment Act will be abolished, and that in cases of dating violence and stalking, not only the victims but also those around them will receive sufficient protection and support.

He pledged to establish a "(tentative name) Employment Fairness Committee" under the Labor Relations Commission responsible for employment fairness, and to create a dedicated department in the Ministry of Employment and Labor to oversee employment equality affairs.

He said that on reports of hiring discrimination, on-site labor inspections will be conducted immediately, and if confirmed, the findings will be publicly announced to the people.

He also views "menstruation" as a universal women's health right and pledged to nationalize Gyeonggi Province's "Universal Support for Basic Sanitary Products for Female Adolescents" policy. Additionally, he promised to add reproductive health ultrasound items to health checkups for female adolescents so they can confidently manage their health from an early age.

He pledged to promote the enactment of the "Basic Act on Guaranteeing Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights" to design and implement related policies.

Governor Lee said, "So far, I have actively and proactively worked for a gender-equal society, being the first metropolitan local government to provide universal sanitary products for female adolescents and establish a one-stop support center for victims of digital sex crimes," adding, "I will do my utmost to move toward a fair world without discrimination in all areas and regions, across all generations and genders."

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