Women's Groups Criticize Kim Hyun-sook's Reform Plan as "Function Reduction," "Marginalization of Female Employment"

Kim Hyun-sook: "Functions Will Expand and Strengthen by Linking Health, Welfare, and Employment"
Women's Groups Concerned About Setbacks in Gender Equality Policies and Function Weakening
After Controversy Over Previous Biased Meeting, Women's Organizations Called Late
Concerns Over Difficulty in Overseeing Gender-Sensitive Policies and Decline in Women's Employment
Plans to Form a Civic Coalition to Oppose Ministry of Gender Equality Abolition and Continue Actions

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Kim Hyun-sook is explaining the government organization restructuring plan at a meeting with major women's organizations held at the Government Seoul Office Building on the afternoon of the 20th. Attending the meeting were six organization heads: Kang Hye-ran, President of the Korean Women's Minwoo Association; Kim Min-mun-jung, President of the Korean Women's Associations United; Kim Eun-kyung, Chair of the Gender Equality Policy Committee of the Korean YWCA Federation; Song Ran-hee, President of Korea Women's Hotline; Lee Jin-hyung, Chair of the Korean Women's Consumer Union; and Jang Young-ja, President of the Business and Professional Women (BPW) Korea Federation.

"If the women's employment function is transferred to the Ministry of Labor, it will inevitably become marginalized." (Kim Min-mun-jeong, Representative of the Korean Women's Associations United)

"There was no proper collection of opinions, and even the collected opinions were not sufficiently reflected. If a minister at the level of a Cabinet member disappears, the role of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) will also be quietly reduced." (Kang Hye-ran, Representative of the Korean Women’s Movement United)

Women’s organizations met with Minister Kim Hyun-sook to express concerns that the organizational restructuring plan to abolish MOGEF would lead to setbacks in gender equality policies and weaken functions related to women’s employment.

On the 20th, at the Government Seoul Office, Minister Kim Hyun-sook held a meeting with six organizations including the Korean Women's Associations United, Korean Women’s Movement United, YWCA Federation, Women’s Hotline, Korean Women Consumers’ Union, and the Federation of Korean Professional Women. Previously, on the 7th, the day after the government reorganization plan was announced, a meeting was held with conservative groups favorable to the government, which sparked controversy over bias. The government reorganization plan includes transferring MOGEF’s youth and family, gender equality, and rights promotion functions to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, establishing the Population, Family, and Gender Equality Bureau, and transferring women’s employment duties to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

Minister Kim emphasized, "When the government organization is restructured, MOGEF policies will be linked with health, welfare, and employment labor policies, expanding and strengthening more than before. The enforcement of gender equality policies across the health and welfare sector will be reinforced, and there will be opportunities to incorporate a gender equality perspective in policy support spanning from infancy to old age."

At the meeting, women’s organizations questioned how much women’s sector opinions would be reflected in the implementation of the government reorganization plan’s structure. Minister Kim reportedly responded, "Since this is an issue announced by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, it is difficult to reflect changes, and the National Assembly should play a role."

The women’s sector conveyed concerns at the meeting that gender equality policies and MOGEF’s functions would be weakened and that gender equality policies would regress. They also expressed worries that the Ministry of Health and Welfare would find it difficult to maintain a gender-sensitive perspective regarding female victims of violence and would approach them as social welfare service recipients.

The Korean Women’s Movement United stated, "If the independent ministry disappears, the autonomy and independence in budgeting for gender equality policies and legislative authority will be infringed upon. Independence is very important in coordinating with other ministries and local governments. Among the 194 countries that have established dedicated gender equality agencies, 160 operate them as independent ministries, but this reorganization plan does not guarantee those powers and roles."

Since MOGEF has been planning and implementing policies for blind spots in government policy such as single-parent families, out-of-school youth, and women’s rights, and has played a role in overseeing and coordinating government policies from a gender-sensitive perspective, women’s groups believe that abolishing the ministry will inevitably weaken its functions. They proposed expanding the budget and personnel of the dedicated gender equality ministry, establishing a presidential-level Gender Equality Commission, and installing dedicated gender equality agencies within all ministries. They argue that integrating into the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which has a large budget and personnel, is unrelated to strengthening functions and that it is difficult to expect coordination and oversight roles as the ministerial position with expertise disappears.

Additionally, there are criticisms that the plan to transfer women’s employment functions to the Ministry of Employment and Labor is also inadequate. Kim Min-mun-jeong, Representative of the Korean Women's Associations United, said, "The Ministry of Employment and Labor has been lukewarm in dealing with hiring discrimination issues, and the handling of reported sexual harassment cases and the employment equality labor inspector system have not been operated as intended. They have not provided evidence to prove that this is not a 'weakening of functions' in specific matters. Rather, it reinforces the conviction that an independent ministry for gender equality policies is necessary."

The women’s sector plans to continue the movement to abolish MOGEF by forming a broad civic action coalition including civic groups beyond women’s organizations. Representative Kang Hye-ran said, "This reorganization plan was a tool to reverse the declining approval ratings caused by the controversy over vulgar language. We plan to make the abolition of MOGEF a civil society agenda and continue follow-up activities, and we intend to request cooperation from the National Assembly as well."

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