Yoon Seok-yeol: "No Structural Gender Discrimination"... Democratic Party Women's Committee: "Not Qualified to Be President"

Controversy Arises as Yoon Says "I Did Not Say There Is No Structural Gender Discrimination"

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, attended the policy discussion titled "Science and Technology Change the Future of Korea" held on the 8th at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, and announced his science and technology pledges. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Recently, Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, sparked controversy by stating, "There is no longer structural gender discrimination. Discrimination is a personal issue." On the 8th, Jeong Chunsook, the Women’s Committee Chair of the Democratic Party’s Election Committee, directly criticized him, saying, "Apologize to the people."

Jeong issued a statement that day, saying, "Candidate Yoon, who denies and distorts the reality of women, is not qualified to be president."

She said, "While the whole world is striving to eliminate structural gender discrimination, only one presidential candidate in South Korea denies it. This is truly shameful. Why do we need a political leader who perceives deeply rooted gender discrimination as an issue for individuals to solve? It is like telling everyone to fend for themselves."

She continued, "A presidential candidate has the responsibility to present a future vision where the people can enjoy a more comfortable and equal life. However, in Yoon’s national governance plan and future vision, 'women,' who make up half the population, are invisible."

Jeong Chunsuk, Chairwoman of the Women's Committee of the Democratic Party Election Countermeasures Committee.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

She explained, "In 2021, South Korea ranked 102nd out of 156 countries in the Gender Gap Index by the World Economic Forum, ranked first in gender wage gap among OECD countries, ranked last for nine consecutive years in the OECD glass ceiling index, and has 1.5 million women with career interruptions. The level of women’s advancement into senior positions is also serious. Women make up only 4.8% of executives in the top 100 companies. Among lawmakers, 19% are women, and there are zero female mayors or governors, consistently placing South Korea in the lower ranks globally."

Jeong also pointed out, "Violence has always been directed toward those in lower socio-economic positions, and as a result, the majority of victims have been women. Candidate Yoon must face these disgraceful figures that clearly reveal the level of gender discrimination in South Korea."

Furthermore, she raised her voice, saying, "The voices of the people worried about the country’s future due to Yoon’s ignorant and irresponsible remarks are growing louder. Inequality does not disappear by denial. We strongly condemn Candidate Yoon’s attitude, which is like trying to cover the sky with the palm of his hand."

Earlier, in an interview with Hankook Ilbo released on the 7th, Yoon responded to the question, "Is your pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family intended to divide people?" by saying, "There is no longer structural gender discrimination. Discrimination is a personal issue," and added, "The idea that women are treated unequally and men are given superior treatment is an old story."

In response, Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, criticized on Facebook, saying, "Candidate Yoon’s perception is regrettable" and called it "a regrettable and dangerous remark." Lee pointed out, "Yoon’s pledge actually includes 'fair gender equality.' If there were no structural gender discrimination, such a pledge would not be necessary."

As the controversy grew, Yoon met with reporters after attending a policy discussion at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and said, "I did not say that there is no structural discrimination between men and women."

He elaborated, "That statement came up because of the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Our society has been making continuous efforts, so we need to focus more on individual inequality and discrimination. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has fulfilled its historical mission, and I said that we need to respond to inequality and discrimination in a new way."

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