Human Rights Commissioner Song Doohwan: "Concerns Over Abolishing Ministry of Gender Equality and Family... Need for Efforts to Eliminate Gender Discrimination"

Song Doo-hwan, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK), issued a statement on the 8th to mark the 116th International Women's Day, urging multifaceted efforts across all sectors of South Korea, including the government, National Assembly, and judiciary, to eliminate gender discrimination.

Song Doo-hwan, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission [Photo by Yonhap News]

Chairperson Song said, "Various indicators in our society reveal a harsh reality for women," adding, "The gender wage gap in South Korea has consistently been the largest among OECD member countries since joining the organization in 1996."

He further pointed out that Korean society still ranks near the bottom in the Glass Ceiling Index published by The Economist. He stated, "The proportion of women executives among all listed companies is 5.2%, showing a significant gap compared to the OECD average of 25.6%," and "The proportion of female lawmakers in the 21st National Assembly is only 19%, ranking 120th in the world as of the end of 2023."

Under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which should serve as the control tower for women's policies, is on the path to abolition. Regarding this, Chairperson Song emphasized, "There are concerns about the feasibility of establishing policies to eliminate gender discrimination and realize gender equality," and "Many issues remain to be improved to ensure a safe life for women in our society."

He also stated, "The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women will review South Korea's national report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women this May," adding, "The NHRCK will continue efforts to realize the values of women's human rights and gender equality, including submitting independent reports to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women."

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