Exclusion of Ministry of Gender Equality from Transition Team... Ministry 'Embarrassed' by De Facto Abolition Signal

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol reiterated his pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, stating, "Isn't it time for the ministry to fulfill its historical mission?" Meanwhile, on the 14th, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family at the Government Seoul Office, facing a crossroads regarding its existence, is stirring unrest amid a restless atmosphere. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyemin and Han Jinju] The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) has been excluded from dispatch to the Presidential Transition Committee. Although MOGEF initially recommended four public officials for dispatch, the transition committee did not accept them. As analyses suggest this signals the effective abolition of MOGEF, the ministry is struggling to hide its embarrassment.

According to the transition committee and MOGEF on the 21st, none of the 149 specialized and working-level committee members confirmed the previous day included MOGEF officials. Typically, the transition committee receives dispatches of public officials from each ministry, ranging from as few as one to as many as six or seven. This is to gain practical cooperation in handing over duties and deciding whether to maintain or abolish current policies. Each government ministry is also known to put effort into dispatching officials to reflect their positions during the formation of a new government.

Earlier, the transition committee, through the Ministry of Personnel Management, sent a collective request to each ministry for recommendations of public officials willing to be dispatched. In response to a request for one director-level and one manager-level official, MOGEF submitted a list of four candidates, twice the requested number, to the transition committee.

This exclusion from dispatch is analyzed to be closely related to President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol’s major campaign pledge to abolish MOGEF. Previously, during the organization of the transition committee, no separate "women’s" division was named; instead, gender equality issues were assigned to the social welfare and culture division. However, no related experts were included among the transition committee members.

Shin Yong-hyun, spokesperson for the transition committee, said at a briefing that when asked, "Is it true that MOGEF was excluded from dispatch to the transition committee?" he responded, "I cannot confirm that," but added, "Not all ministries are represented." He explained, "There may be concerns that women’s policies will be neglected, but issues such as women, youth, low birthrate, and aging will be addressed in national tasks," and "If insufficient, advisory committees will sufficiently supplement."

Inside MOGEF, there is a sense of frustration over not having a single working-level official dispatched to the transition committee. They cannot hide their embarrassment as they were not just reduced in number but completely excluded. While the Ministry of Education, which is undergoing discussions about consolidation, confirmed dispatches of one director-level and one manager-level official each, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which belong to the same division, each confirmed one dispatched official, only MOGEF was left out. During the Park Geun-hye administration’s transition committee and the early National Planning Committee under the Moon Jae-in administration, at least one MOGEF official was dispatched. A MOGEF official said, "We are in a situation where we cannot say anything."

Concerns are also being raised about the disappearance of opportunities for discussion as not only working-level officials but also experts were excluded. Park Sun-young, senior research fellow at the Women’s Policy Institute, pointed out, "The communication channel has been completely cut off, and it means they do not intend to have any discussion," adding, "This can be interpreted as a sign of MOGEF’s abolition, meaning they do not even intend to draft a policy blueprint. Even if additional advisory members are included, their roles will inevitably differ from those of expert committee members."

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