The Fallout of the Jamboree Disruption... Could It Shift to the Abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family?

Hataekyung·Heoeuna "Yoon's Promise to Abolish Ministry of Gender Equality Fulfilled"
Opposition "Minister's Responsibility Is Key, Abolition Is Absurd"

As the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree concluded amid controversy, the call for the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) has once again become a focal point of attention. Some members of the ruling party argue that "the event would have gone much better without MOGEF," emphasizing the issue of accountability. However, abolishing MOGEF is a complex matter intertwined with legal procedures, public opinion trends, and the impact on next year's general elections.

The abolition of MOGEF was a campaign promise of President Yoon Suk-yeol. However, since the launch of the Yoon administration, discussions on abolishing MOGEF have effectively stalled. The amendment to the Government Organization Act passed by the National Assembly in February also excluded any provisions for abolishing MOGEF.

Kim Hyun-sook, Minister of MOGEF, stated at a press conference in May marking her first anniversary in office that "the issue of abolishing MOGEF has effectively gone under the surface," expressing her intention to strengthen the ministry's functions.

Minister Kim Hyun-sook of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced the departure plan for participants of the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree at the Jamboree Press Center in Buan-gun, Jeonbuk on the 8th. 2023.8.8 Photo by Yonhap News

However, as problems such as poor preparation surfaced during the Jamboree's operation, some within the ruling party have once again raised the issue of abolishing MOGEF. Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, criticized, "If MOGEF had been abolished, the event would have gone much better," adding, "MOGEF is structurally a difficult organization to perform well. It is a part-time organization that only stirs up patchwork conflicts."

Heo Eun-ah, also from the People Power Party, posted on Facebook, "MOGEF has overwhelmingly proven its incompetence and does not deserve to be operated with taxpayers' money. It is time for our government to fulfill its campaign promise," and added, "If immediate abolition is difficult due to obstruction by the Democratic Party, at least a substantial organizational reform equivalent to abolition should be carried out."

However, there are also opinions that linking the Jamboree fiasco directly to the abolition of MOGEF is an overreach. Ko Young-in, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out, "(While) various criticisms can be made about MOGEF, moving toward its outright abolition is absurd," emphasizing, "The core and essence lie in accurately questioning the roles and responsibilities of the minister."

President Yoon Suk-yeol's one-line pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family posted on Facebook during his presidential campaign / Facebook capture

Ko also noted that the government bears responsibility for the abolition of MOGEF being raised due to the Jamboree incident, as it was originally a campaign pledge.

Ko stated, "The issue arose because Minister Kim Hyun-sook, who is responsible for MOGEF and the Jamboree, failed to fulfill her role and capability," adding, "MOGEF is actually the department that should devote the most effort to solving low birthrate issues. The current task is to make its content more substantial, and abolishing it altogether is a flawed philosophy."

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