Kim Jong-in Criticizes "Abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality to Support Men? A Wrong Mindset"

"Lee Jun-seok, who criticized Jo Eun-hee on the 'Elevation of the Ministry of Gender Equality,' called it 'an unreasonable act'"

Kim Jong-in, who announced his intention to resign as the General Election Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is arriving at his office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 5th. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Amid fierce controversy over President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, former People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Kim Jong-in voiced his opinion, saying, "The idea of abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family just to side with men is fundamentally wrong."

On the 15th, Kim appeared on CBS Radio's 'Hanpan Seungbu' and said, "I am not sure what purpose President-elect Yoon had in mind when he pledged to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family during the election, but it seems he thinks he must keep that promise because he said he would abolish it," adding, "However, the functions of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family are not simply limited to women's issues."

He continued, "Our country's future looks very bleak due to the low birthrate problem," and said, "The most important function among those of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is family policy. How the Republic of Korea and the government will handle family policy going forward is crucial."

When PPP lawmaker Jo Eun-hee, who was elected in the Seoul Seocho-gap by-election, proposed the alternative of upgrading the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Kim criticized PPP leader Lee Jun-seok, who pointed this out, saying, "I think it is unreasonable for the party leader to oppose what the candidate promised like that."

Kim also pointed out that the pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family was "a misinterpretation of the results of the April 7 by-election." He said, "Since Lee was in charge of youth affairs in Oh Se-hoon's campaign at the time, he thinks the youth vote was significant, but Oh Se-hoon's nearly 19 percentage point margin of victory was due to an increase in votes not only from youth but across the board," adding, "The problem arose because the election results were analyzed too biasedly."

Meanwhile, Kim advised President-elect Yoon, saying, "Don't try to handle everything too hastily." He said, "Usually, it takes a very long time to get over the euphoria of being elected president. People always think everything will go their way," adding, "But reality is completely different. Not spending too much time in that euphoria is the key to being a successful president."

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