Sim Sang-jung: "Yoon Seok-yeol's 'Abolish Ministry of Gender Equality' Pledge Is a Serious Incident Distorting Democracy"

"Dividing 20s Youth by Gender... Comparable to Regional Division"

Sim Sang-jung, the presidential candidate of the Justice Party, attended the '21st Anniversary Ceremony and Academic Conference of President Kim Dae-jung's Nobel Peace Prize' held at the Kim Dae-jung Library of Yonsei University in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the 9th of last month, delivering a congratulatory speech. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Sim Sang-jung, the Justice Party presidential candidate, strongly criticized Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party presidential candidate, who pledged to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF), calling it "a behavior that seeks votes by riding on discrimination and hatred."

On the 12th, at a presidential candidate invitation debate hosted by the Korea Journalists Association held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, Sim said, "He defines MOGEF as the 'Ministry of Misandry' and is dividing young people in their 20s by gender," adding, "This could cause political division comparable to the regional splits that have distorted Korean politics for the past 40 years."

He continued, "I consider this issue not simply as gender discrimination but as a serious incident that could distort and threaten our democracy, and I intend to respond firmly."

Regarding gender conflicts among the youth generation, he emphasized, "Whether female or male, politics must quickly resolve the difficulties young people face," highlighting the need to improve issues such as the gender wage gap, sexual violence, and sole childcare burdens. He also mentioned, "What male youth find most difficult is the military. The military must be reformed quickly," referring to his pledge for a 'Korean-style volunteer military system.' The Korean-style volunteer military system plans to operate as a mixed conscription and volunteer system until 2029, then fully transition to a volunteer system from 2030.

In response to criticism that the Justice Party is focused solely on feminism issues, Sim rebutted, calling it a "misunderstanding." He stated, "Feminism is one of the values the Justice Party must address, but centering on it is not the Justice Party's view," emphasizing, "The Justice Party is a party that represents all universal values and aims to transform our society into a democratic advanced country."

Regarding plans to unify with Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, he dismissed the idea, saying, "Unification to maintain the two-party system is undesirable. It is our and the Justice Party's duty to represent the voices of countless citizens that the two-party system fails to represent with greater volume."

Meanwhile, Sim, who has been experiencing low approval ratings, suddenly suspended all schedules that day. His camp announced, "We take the current election situation seriously and have suspended all schedules from this time onward to reflect." However, the Justice Party drew a line, stating they are not considering mid-term withdrawal or unification.

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