"Kyung Hee University Women's Association Abolished, Ministry of Gender Equality Should Follow"... Lee Jun-seok Criticized and Again Calls for 'Abolition of Ministry of Gender Equality'

Lee Jun-seok "People Agree That the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's Lifespan Has Ended"
"Called 'Divisive Politics' Yet Continues to Advocate for Its Abolition"
Expert: "No Evidence That the Ministry Provokes Gender Conflict"

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party.
Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, recently cited the abolition of the Kyung Hee University General Women's Student Council (총여) to once again call for the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF). He argued that MOGEF is failing to properly carry out its core duties and is instead fostering gender conflicts.

However, there is backlash against the indiscriminate abolition of MOGEF, which is implementing significant policies including gender equality initiatives, youth support, and multicultural family assistance. Critics also point out that the claim "since the university's General Women's Student Council was abolished, MOGEF should be abolished too" is not an appropriate analogy. Experts have noted that the assertion that MOGEF stokes gender conflicts is inaccurate and that mentioning MOGEF's abolition is actually creating more conflict.

◆ Lee Jun-seok: "Kyung Hee University General Women's Student Council was abolished; there is a perception that MOGEF's lifespan is also over"

On July 28, Lee shared an article on Facebook about the recent abolition of Kyung Hee University's General Women's Student Council, stating, "(The abolition) was a natural choice as the organization had reached the end of its lifespan and was only incurring costs." He added, "Women themselves judged that a special organization for women had reached its end. It is meaningful because this conclusion was reached democratically with an overwhelming majority."

He further claimed, "Similarly, there is considerable sympathy among ordinary women for the perception that MOGEF's lifespan is over." This implies that since Kyung Hee University's General Women's Student Council was abolished, 'ordinary women' would also agree to abolish MOGEF. Lee did not provide separate evidence to support this claim.

Lee has presented two main reasons in various media interviews for advocating MOGEF's abolition. The first is that MOGEF's role is minimal, so there is no reason for its existence. In a July interview on 'Joo Young-jin's News Briefing,' he said, "MOGEF has become almost a minister without portfolio with a weak department, reduced to merely conducting campaigns," adding, "In this state, even if there are issues of discrimination or inequality against women, they will not be properly resolved."

The second reason is the claim that MOGEF's existence fuels gender conflicts rather than realizing gender equality. In an interview with a media outlet, Lee said, "Despite MOGEF consistently receiving budgets and operating, gender conflicts have dramatically increased over the past decade, which raises the question of whether its current form of operation should continue."

Jung Young-ae, Minister of Gender Equality and Family. / Photo by Yonhap News

◆ 'Abolish MOGEF' claim criticized even within the People Power Party

However, some argue that Lee's claims are largely inaccurate and one-sided. When Lee's mention of abolishing MOGEF sparked controversy, the ruling party criticized him, saying, "We condemn divisive politics that pit people against each other," and called it "typical Ilbe-style thinking."

Within the People Power Party, Supreme Council member Cho Soo-jin and former lawmaker Yoon Hee-sook, who has since resigned, opposed Lee's stance, emphasizing that "the most important consideration should be plans to address the functional gaps in youth, multicultural family, and sexual violence victim protection."

Of course, there have been criticisms that MOGEF has not adequately fulfilled its role in enhancing women's rights and realizing gender equality. Whenever high-ranking public officials in government and local authorities have been involved in sexual violence incidents, MOGEF has been criticized for not voicing clear opinions and responding passively.

There have also been strong criticisms of MOGEF as the responsible ministry regarding the 'Game Shutdown Law.' The Game Shutdown Law was enacted to restrict late-night gaming by youth to ensure sleep and prevent gaming addiction, but due to public backlash and questions about its effectiveness, it is currently being phased out.

◆ MOGEF pursues various policies beyond gender equality... budget accounts for only 0.2% of the entire government budget

However, the argument that MOGEF should be abolished solely for these reasons, despite its implementation of various policies for socially vulnerable groups, has been met with strong criticism. MOGEF is responsible for promoting projects to realize gender equality values, as well as providing support and measures for youth, single-parent families, multicultural families, and single-person households. It also plays a role in providing integrated support for sexual violence victims.

Regarding MOGEF's abolition, Kim Kyung-sun, Vice Minister of MOGEF, said in an interview with 'Hwang Bo-seon's Starting Morning,' "We first think that we have not fully performed our roles," but added, "If MOGEF is abolished, it will be difficult to carry out various projects to realize gender equality values."

Especially concerning support for sexual violence victims, she emphasized, "Some say that sexual violence issues can be handled by the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of Health and Welfare, but sexual violence victims require highly specialized approaches. MOGEF provides integrated support not only for psychological counseling but also medical and legal assistance. It should not be approached like general welfare recipients." She added, "MOGEF's family policies are not something the Ministry of Health and Welfare can handle. Promoting inclusive policies for diverse family types is MOGEF's role."

There are also calls for appropriate budgets and authority to be granted so that MOGEF can properly implement its policies. This year, MOGEF's budget is 1.2325 trillion won, which is only about 0.2% of the total government budget (558 trillion won).

Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Photo by Yonhap News

Experts point out that the claim that MOGEF fuels gender conflicts is inaccurate and that mentioning MOGEF's abolition is actually creating more conflict.

Kim Ji-hak, Director of the Korea Diversity Research Institute, said, "In politics, there are frequent calls to abolish MOGEF, claiming it fosters gender conflicts, but this is not true," adding, "Various conflicts arising socially, politically, and culturally?such as employment, promotion, wage gaps, and military service?should not be viewed solely as gender conflicts. Politicians often mention abolishing MOGEF to rally supporters, but this attitude is exploiting social conflicts politically."

He continued, "The roles corresponding to MOGEF are operated in various forms in many countries worldwide. While it is true that university General Women's Student Councils are struggling to operate well, the argument that the government ministry that gathers women's opinions and supports various socially vulnerable groups should be abolished is neither logical nor persuasive."

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