Professor Cha In-soon, who proposed the 'Gender Equality Family Youth Department,' says "Youth policies should be handled by a new Ministry of Gender Equality and Family organization"

Proposal for New Ministry 'Seongpyeongdeung Gajok Cheongnyeonbu'
Prime Minister's Office Youth Policy Coordination Committee Also Passive
Need to Address Gender Conflict, Housing, and Employment
Germany Took 30 Years to Integrate Necessary Areas
Strengthening Care Policy Means Strengthening Family Policy

Cha In-soon, an adjunct professor at the National Assembly Legislative Research Institute and former senior expert of the National Assembly's Gender and Family Committee (pictured), argued in an interview with this paper on the 11th that a new ‘Ministry of Gender Equality, Family, and Youth’ should be established during the reorganization of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) to also encompass youth policies. She suggested assigning new roles to the 20-year-old MOGEF while combining necessary areas, similar to Germany. This aligns with the statement made by Kim Hyun-sook, the nominee for MOGEF minister, the day before, who said, "We will establish new roles for the ministry that address population, family, and child issues while resolving the gender conflicts and difficulties faced by the younger generation in society." Professor Cha has worked for nearly 20 years since 2003 as a legislative deliberation officer and senior expert in the Gender and Family Committee.

Professor Cha said, "Youth policies are currently handled by the Prime Minister’s Office Youth Policy Coordination Committee, but in reality, they have been passive in resolving gender conflicts among youth," adding, "The Prime Minister’s Office should have taken the lead, with MOGEF assisting, but since young people in their 20s and 30s commonly demand jobs and housing, the new ministry should proactively and actively address these issues."

She continued, "If the Prime Minister’s Office is in charge, it is difficult for the Political Affairs Committee to engage with these issues. It is also important which ministry or committee has jurisdiction," and said, "If the new ministry takes charge of youth policies, the National Assembly can also discuss these issues as policies and projects. Not only gender conflicts but also policies related to housing, jobs, and financial support should be designed by relevant ministries. If the political sphere only escalates conflicts, it will be even harder to overcome them."

Professor Cha cited Germany as an example. Since 1986, Germany has integrated youth, family, and health sectors and operates a ‘Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth’ with one minister and three deputy ministers responsible for gender equality policies. She explained, "Germany started as a family-focused ministry and grew over 30 years by combining necessary areas, which suits our country’s conditions as well. The ministry’s work embodies values of caring for those who cannot enjoy family roles and fostering their capacity for independence."

Regarding the new government’s consideration of establishing a ministry centered on ‘family,’ she said, "As family forms diversify and society ages rapidly, it will be difficult to maintain only traditional family types," adding, "Whether to recognize LGBTQ+ families remains an issue, but as in Western societies, the direction will eventually move that way, although conservative governments will clearly have limitations." She also noted, "Because the issue of whether to maintain or abolish the ministry is strongly perceived, concrete alternatives have not been abundantly proposed. It is necessary to organize the axis related to child and youth care," and said, "Strengthening family policies means strengthening care policies, but government policies lack an agenda relative to the demand for care."

Regarding a recent discussion where Professor Lee Soo-jung of Kyonggi University mentioned that South Korea ranks first in Asia on the UNDP’s Gender Inequality Index (GII), Professor Cha called it ‘cherry-picking.’ She said, "The UNDP’s GII considers indicators like maternal mortality and adolescent pregnancy rates, which are important in developing countries. South Korea is not a developing country," adding, "The gender wage gap exceeds 30%. What we need to focus on is this point."

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