"Appoint the Minister of Gender Equality and Family" Growing Voices Domestically and Internationally

Eight-Month Vacancy Prolonged After Candidate Kim Haeng's Withdrawal
International Organizations and National Assembly Criticize Government
"Yoon Administration Deliberately Leaves Ministerial Post Vacant"
Women's Groups Also Demand "Normalization of Ministry of Gender Equality Functions"

As the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family remains without a minister for over three months?the only ministry currently facing such a vacancy?calls from both inside and outside the ministry to appoint a minister are growing louder. Criticism has extended beyond the ministry and related organizations to the National Assembly and international bodies.

According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on the 5th, on the 3rd (local time), the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) issued its final observations on the 9th periodic report of South Korea, urging the Korean government to withdraw the plan to abolish the ministry and to immediately appoint a minister. The committee is a body that reviews the implementation status of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women by member states. South Korea joined the convention in December 1984 and has submitted national reports on policy achievements in related fields to the UN every four years.

The committee recommended, "Appoint a minister without further delay and maintain the functions of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in any organizational restructuring," and urged, "Significantly expand human, technical, and financial support so that the ministry can effectively coordinate gender mainstreaming efforts across all government ministries."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The ministerial position at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has been vacant for over three months since former Minister Kim Hyun-sook stepped down on February 21. Currently, it is the only ministry without a minister. Deputy Minister Shin Young-sook is acting as the minister, but there are limits to handling the duties of the ministry head concurrently. Inside the ministry, there are concerns that without a minister, it has become difficult to raise voices during inter-ministerial work processes. At last month’s CEDAW review held in Geneva, Switzerland, all previous ministers attended as representatives of Korea, but Deputy Minister Shin did not participate.

In particular, since former Minister Kim submitted her resignation following the 'World Jamboree event mishandling controversy' in September last year, and the newly nominated candidate Kim Haeng withdrew, there has been no officially appointed minister for about eight months.

Calls to appoint a minister have also come from the National Assembly. On the 4th, Jin Sung-jun, the Policy Committee Chair of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the government at the party’s floor meeting, saying, "President Yoon Seok-yeol’s deliberate vacancy of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family minister position is a serious neglect of the presidential duties prescribed by the Constitution and laws," and added, "While the ministerial post remains vacant, incidents such as the Gangnam officetel mother-daughter murder case and medical student dating-related murder crimes have been flooding the news daily."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, Democratic Party lawmaker Jeon Jin-sook issued a statement condemning the vacancy of the ministry’s ministerial post for over 100 days as "a clear dereliction of duty by the president as the highest national official," and warned, "It is evident that the Yoon administration’s regression in women’s policies will accelerate."

Women’s organizations have repeatedly urged the appointment of a minister. The Korean Women’s Associations United emphasized on the 4th, in relation to the CEDAW results, that "the functions of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which should oversee and coordinate gender equality policies, must be normalized as soon as possible." The nationwide civic coalition 'National Action to Prevent the Abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and Strengthen Gender Equality Policies,' consisting of 902 civic groups, also demanded after former Minister Kim’s resignation was accepted, "Appoint a 'proper' minister who will realize gender equality policies and normalize the ministry."

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