No Public Debate on Ministry of Gender Equality Abolition Proposal...Criticism of 'Regression' Due to Closed-Door Discussions and Ministry Splitting

Summary Only Submitted to National Assembly Without Strategic Promotion Team Meeting Minutes
Unofficial Meetings Continue Without Roadmap Disclosure
Former Minister Jeong Hyun-baek Also Criticizes Department Split Reform Plan

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol reiterated his commitment to abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, stating, "Hasn't the ministry fulfilled its historical mission by now?" Meanwhile, on the 14th, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family at the Government Seoul Office, facing a crossroads regarding its existence, is stirring in a restless atmosphere. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is facing criticism for secrecy and lack of communication during the process of preparing a reorganization plan following its abolition.

It has been two months since the Ministry formed the Strategic Promotion Team on the 29th, and although more than ten meetings have been held, there are no meeting minutes. Rep. Yoo Jung-joo of the Democratic Party requested the Ministry to submit materials from the Strategic Promotion Team meetings, but the Ministry only provided a summary consisting of one or two sentences instead of full minutes, along with a list of attendees and their affiliations. In response, Minister Kim Hyun-sook explained, "There is no obligation to prepare meeting minutes," adding, "If participants' opinions were fully disclosed, it could limit their freedom and cause discomfort."

Since the abolition, the roadmap has not been disclosed, and the discussion process is being thoroughly concealed. A representative from the women's community said, "Because this is a hot-button issue, it may be burdensome to disclose the discussion content itself, and they may also be reluctant to reveal opinions that differ from the Ministry's plan," adding, "We expect to see some clarity only next year. We hope to avoid the worst-case scenario of dragging the ministry abolition issue throughout the Yoon Seok-yeol administration." In the situation where the ministry's abolition is a foregone conclusion, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is also facing difficulties securing project budgets and personnel. Despite the law existing and projects needing to be carried out regardless of the abolition discussions, there is reluctance to allocate budgets to a 'ministry that will disappear.' Inside the Ministry, complaints are growing as workload increases but personnel recruitment does not keep pace.

Jeong Hyun-baek, an emeritus professor of history at Sungkyunkwan University and the first Minister of Gender Equality and Family during the Moon Jae-in administration, recently opposed the reorganization plan that splits the ministry in a paper titled "Controversies Surrounding the Abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and Its Social Implications." The current proposal involves splitting responsibilities: support and prevention for women with career interruptions to the Ministry of Employment and Labor; childcare and single-parent family support to the Ministry of Health and Welfare; sexual violence issues to the Ministry of Justice; and gender equality policies to the Gender Equality Committee or newly established committees. Professor Jeong stated, "Dividing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's tasks among multiple ministries risks the safety and welfare of women, youth, children, and families, who are the policy targets and beneficiaries, and may degrade their quality of life," adding, "Ultimately, this will result in regressing the gender-equal policies that have considered minorities into mere institutionalized material support or protective measures." He further noted, "If gender impact assessment projects and gender equality education actively promoted by the Ministry disappear in conservative and patriarchal local communities, the policy tools to examine sexual inequality and change systems, cultures, and practices will vanish, and budgets related to gender policies will sharply decrease," emphasizing, "The abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the proliferation of rhetoric claiming 'there is no structural gender discrimination in Korea' demonstrate the failure of self-reform among Korean conservatives and do not align with the zeitgeist of the post-COVID society."

Minister Kim recently appeared on KBS Radio's "Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs," stating, "Everyone says they are not satisfied with the current state of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family," and added, "When considering which organizational system provides better services to the public, the Ministry should be abolished and integrated into a larger entity." Regarding the splitting of the ministry, she said, "Nothing has been decided yet. Other ministries need to provide opinions on organizational restructuring; it is not just us," and emphasized, "The key is whether the recipients of services can receive integrated, one-stop services without segmentation, rather than recognizing which ministry provides them." Although Minister Kim has previously stated that functions would be maintained even if the organization is abolished, it appears she is considering a plan close to the government organization law amendment proposed by Rep. Kwon Seong-dong of the People Power Party. The amendment includes abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and establishing a Ministry of Population and Family.

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