"If the Ministry of Gender Equality Didn't Exist, We Would Have Died," Human Rights Activist Lee Yong-su Appeals... Lee Jun-seok: "It's a Pledge Set by the Candidate"

Request to Withdraw 'Abolition of Ministry of Gender Equality'... Lee Jun-seok "Will Provide Greater Support for Comfort Women Issue"
Also Requesting Passage of Resolution Urging Referral to UN Convention Against Torture

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, is meeting with comfort women victim grandmother Lee Yong-soo at the National Assembly on the 10th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Lee Yong-soo (94), a human rights activist and victim of the Japanese military 'comfort women', appealed to Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, to withdraw his pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF).

On the morning of the 10th, Lee met with Lee Jun-seok at the National Assembly and requested the passage of a resolution urging the National Assembly to refer the 'comfort women issue' to the UN Convention Against Torture. She then said, "I have one request," adding, "If the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is abolished, we will be dead."

In response, Lee Jun-seok said, "We will establish a department that properly handles this work and provide support."

An official accompanying Lee said, "The budget for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family should be doubled. Then, more thorough preparations can be made."

When Lee again lamented, "If the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is gone, we will be dead," Lee Jun-seok promised, "We will provide a larger budget and greater support for the comfort women issue," explaining, "This pledge was made because (Yoon Seok-yeol) the presidential candidate decided so."

After the meeting, Lee Jun-seok told reporters that regarding the grandmother’s opposition to abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, "That is a pledged issue, and it was made after detailed review, so I do not expect a change in position."

He added, "However, I interpret the grandmother’s words as a hope that support for comfort women victims, which was carried out by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, will not be disrupted at all," and said, "In fact, under the restructured government organization law system related to the comfort women issue, I expect departments with practical and strong negotiating power to take charge of this work."

He further explained, "I also hope the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will take ownership of this issue and handle it as if it were their own, and we will move in the direction of strengthening the reorganization of departments related to labor and human rights."

During the meeting, Lee said, "The president should order it, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should send a letter, but I don’t know why it hasn’t been done," and requested, "Please pass the bill to implement the UN Convention Against Torture." People Power Party lawmaker Yang Geum-hee has already introduced a resolution urging referral to the UN Convention Against Torture.

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