'Women-Friendly Triple Crown' Mapo-gu Celebrates Gender Equality Week with Abundant Events

Afternoon of the 1st: Gender Equality Commemoration Event Held with Vocal Music Celebration, Awards for Meritorious Persons, Lectures, and Sharing Activities Provided

Mapo-gu (District Mayor Park Gang-su) announced that it held a Gender Equality Week event at the Mapo-gu Office auditorium on the afternoon of the 1st.

Gender Equality Week, designated in 2020 and observed from September 1 to 7, commemorates September 1, 1898, the day the "Yeogwon Tongmun (女權通文)"?the first declaration in Korea advocating women's political participation and rights to employment and education?was announced.

Among Seoul's autonomous districts, Mapo-gu has the highest female population ratio at 53% (based on the KOSIS National Statistical Portal as of March 2023), making it crucial to promote gender equality policies based on gender impact assessments and analyses.

Accordingly, the district has made significant achievements, including expanding women’s safety infrastructure such as creating considerate parking spaces (BPA) for transportation-vulnerable groups (pregnant women, disabled, elderly), providing safety services through public-private cooperation, and continuously conducting education and projects to raise awareness of gender equality. As a result, Mapo-gu became the first autonomous district in Seoul to be designated as a Women-Friendly City three consecutive times.

Furthermore, in April, the district opened the "Mapo Women’s Companion Center," a facility spanning one basement floor and four above-ground floors, which actively operates as a space encompassing gender and generations by offering community spaces for residents, self-development programs, gender equality education support, and counseling on gender-based violence.

The 2023 Gender Equality event was held under the theme "Gender Equality Together, Happy Mapo," conveying the message of realizing an equal and happy society without gender discrimination.

The event began with a congratulatory performance by vocalist Jang Cheol-jun, followed by awards presented to six individuals who contributed to the advancement of gender equality, a commemorative performance for Gender Equality Week, and a special lecture by Park Sang-hee, director of the Sharon Mental Health Research Institute.

Notably, Park Sang-hee, who has appeared on several popular programs including JTBC's "Case Officer," delivered an in-depth lecture titled "Loving Myself, Protecting Myself," addressing recent indiscriminate crime psychology based on her experience counseling both criminals and victims.

During the third part of the sharing event, about 50 members of Mapo-gu women’s organizations personally made gochujang (red chili paste) and doenjang (soybean paste), which were delivered to 160 households in the local community facing difficulties, marking a meaningful occasion.

On the first floor of Mapo-gu Office in the Eoullim Madang, an exhibition commemorating the 125th anniversary of the Yeogwon Tongmun is being held, introducing Korean women's human rights activities and prominent female figures, and will continue until the 7th.

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, stated, "Even now, when women's political participation, education, and freedom in employment are taken for granted, invisible inequalities may still exist. Mapo-gu will devote all efforts to creating a community where women, men, and all generations can coexist happily without discrimination through meticulous administration."

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