Yoon's Claim of "No Structural Gender Discrimination"... Lee Jae-myung and Sim Sang-jung Rebuke, "Another Absurd Remark, Face Reality"

Yoon Seok-yeol Faces Backlash for Saying "Discrimination Is a Personal Issue"
"Regrettable and Dangerous Statement... Yoon's Pledge Also Includes 'Gender Equality'"
"Only 4.8% of Executives in Top 100 Companies Are Women"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, and Sim Sang-jung, the Justice Party presidential candidate, criticized the remarks made by Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Sim Sang-jung, the presidential candidate of the Justice Party, strongly criticized Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, who stated that "there is no structural gender discrimination and discrimination is a personal issue."

On the 7th, in an interview with Hankook Ilbo, Yoon was asked about his pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. He replied, "Moderates and conservatives believe that the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has already fulfilled its historical function and has no reason to exist." Yoon added, "There is no longer structural gender discrimination. Discrimination is a personal issue. Men can be the disadvantaged, and women can be the disadvantaged. The idea that women are treated unequally and men receive superior treatment is an old story."

In response, Lee posted on his Facebook page the same day, criticizing it as a "regrettable and dangerous remark." He said, "In fact, Yoon Seok-yeol's pledge also includes 'fair gender equality.' If there were no structural gender discrimination, such a pledge would not be necessary." He pointed out, "Solving problems begins with a correct understanding of reality. Without facing reality, there is no way a proper solution will emerge."

Lee explained, "According to the Global Gender Gap Index (GGI), which the World Economic Forum surveys annually to examine gender gaps, South Korea ranked 102nd out of 156 countries in 2021, placing it in the lower tier." He added, "This means that the level of gender equality is low and structural gender discrimination is severe, so it cannot be dismissed as a personal issue."

Lee also emphasized, "Gender equality is a task that our society must achieve for sustainable development," and stressed, "Along with solving the problems faced by the younger generation who must fight a war rather than compete due to lack of opportunities, solving gender discrimination issues is also important."

Sim also sarcastically remarked, "It seems there is no more room to add to the record of outrageous remarks." Through Facebook that day, he said, "Please come out of the imaginary realm and face reality," and questioned, "According to Yoon's claim, is the fact that women make up only 19% of National Assembly members and only 4.8% of executives in the top 100 companies entirely a matter of individual women's abilities?"

He continued, "From the College Scholastic Ability Test to civil service exams, women perform better, so why does the number of women decrease as positions become higher? Why has South Korea ranked last for nine consecutive years in the OECD's glass ceiling index?" He also pointed out, "Why are nearly 90% of victims of violent crimes such as sexual violence women?"

Sim said, "If you want to become president, you should at least contemplate these questions before speaking," and warned, "I hope this is not just mimicking Representative Lee Jun-seok's belief that all of this is because individual women are at fault or lack ability, just to gain votes."

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