"Stop Cowardly Politics" Women's Groups Raise Voices Against Abolishing Ministry of Gender Equality and Family

Holding a Relay Speech Rally to Prevent the Abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality at Seoul Hyehwa Marronnier Park

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] Women's organizations have come together to raise their voices against the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF). They argued that structural discrimination still exists in Korean society and that MOGEF is necessary to address it.

On the 16th, the Korean Women's Associations United held a "Relay Speech Rally to Prevent the Abolition of MOGEF" at Marronnier Park in Hyehwa, Seoul. The Korean Women's Associations United is a coalition of 27 member organizations.

They focused their criticism on President-elect Yoon's pledge to abolish MOGEF. Kim Yoon-ja, co-representative of the Korean Women's Associations United, said, "Although it has become clear that President-elect Yoon's pledge to abolish MOGEF is a political election strategy, he is shutting his ears to public opinion and declaring that he will definitely keep it. The idea of dispersing its functions to other ministries or operating it as a committee is an administrative convenience and a supplier-centered mindset."

They also emphasized that gender-discriminatory structures still exist. A representative from the Korean Women Workers Association said, "Korea has never received a good report card in various indices such as the gender wage gap and the glass ceiling index. To solve this, we demand more personnel and budget rather than abolishing MOGEF."

Various individuals also added their voices at the rally. A person identified as a sexual violence victim, A, said, "When I could not receive help from my family, I received help from MOGEF. The women's counseling centers of MOGEF are places where victims of sexual crimes who still cannot muster courage and live with difficulty can open up." They also criticized, "President-elect Yoon's pledge to abolish MOGEF is destroying the courage of many victims."

Men also supported their claims. Kim Yeon-woong, a feminist activist working with men, said, "President-elect Yoon's pledge to abolish MOGEF is not a policy but violence. If the ruling party, People Power Party, and President-elect Yoon insist on abolishing MOGEF, the 2030 generation will turn their backs anytime." He added, "Now is the time to stop politics that make citizens compete for slices of the pie. Stop cowardly politics and talk about the future."

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