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Chae I-bae, Emergency Response Committee Member of the Democratic Party of Korea
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Jeong-wan] Chae I-bae, a member of the Emergency Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed a position that he could accept President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) on the premise of maintaining the role and function of the ministry.

On the morning of the 14th, Chae said on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" in response to the question, "If a new Gender Equality Committee is created, would you accept the abolition of MOGEF?" "I think we need to be flexible to that extent," adding, "The most important thing is that gender equality must be promoted, and a government ministry that performs such functions should naturally exist."

He said, "I still believe that structural gender discrimination exists in our society," and "The Democratic Party clearly opposed the abolition of MOGEF during the presidential election process."

He continued, "President-elect Yoon keeps mentioning abolition, but honestly, he does not say that all existing functions of MOGEF will be eliminated," and "Ultimately, efforts must be made to find a compromise through continuous dialogue and persuasion with the new government and the People Power Party."

Chae added, "There is no need to be too fixated on the name of the ministry or such things," and "The Democratic Party recognizes that structural gender discrimination still exists and will continuously strive to improve it."

When asked whether Park Ji-hyun, co-chair of the Emergency Committee and former member of the 'Nth Room Tracking Team,' would agree with this view, he said, "I have not even met her face to face yet. These matters need to be discussed," adding, "It is a situation where active discussions should be held not only at the Emergency Committee level but also including Democratic Party lawmakers."

Chae said the most critical part of the current Emergency Committee system is "political reform," stating, "I promised to promote institutional improvements so that a multiparty system can take root." He added, "Especially with local elections approaching, discussions on reforming the local council electoral districts must proceed quickly."

He also expressed the view that "the next government is expected to push for supplementary budgets to overcome COVID-19," and "We will fully cooperate to make efforts to overcome COVID-19 with better policies."

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