[2024 National Audit] Ministry of Gender Equality Criticized for 'Minister Vacancy'... Internal Organizational Management Also Pointed Out

Ruling Party Also Says "Not Appropriate to Hold Audit with Ministerial Vacancy"
Criticism Over Two Senior Officials Acting as Deputies

At the National Assembly's Gender and Family Committee's audit, voices calling for the appointment of a minister to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF), which has been without a head for several months, continued to rise. Criticism was also raised regarding the organization's operation, as some senior positions are being managed under acting roles.

On the 30th, Lee Yeon-hee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated during the audit, "What the public is worried about is that without a responsible minister, new projects are not being carried out responsibly," adding, "With the ministerial vacancy lasting for eight months, I am very concerned about how next year's women's policy projects will be carried out."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Han-gyu, the opposition party's secretary of the Gender and Family Committee and a Democratic Party member, also said, "Even neighborhood community leaders or district heads are not left vacant for this long," and criticized, "The legislative branch, which has failed to point out this administrative vacancy, is neglecting its constitutional duty to audit the government."

Jo Eun-hee, a member of the ruling People Power Party, also expressed concern. Jo said, "We also agree that it is an undesirable situation to conduct the audit with the MOGEF ministerial post vacant and an acting minister in place," adding, "I understand that negotiations are underway between the floor leaders of both parties. It would be good to wait and see the results of those negotiations."

Kim said she would propose a written resolution urging the appointment of a minister if both parties agreed, but it was postponed due to lack of bipartisan consensus.

In addition to the ministerial vacancy, there were also criticisms regarding poor organizational management within MOGEF. Jeon Jin-sook, a Democratic Party member, said, "The positions of Policy Planning Officer and Director of the Rights Promotion Bureau have been vacant for nine months," adding, "It is very regrettable that the positions responsible for planning all of MOGEF's policies and conducting many activities related to women's rights have not been appointed."

Seo Beom-su, a member of the People Power Party, said, "Among the eight senior officials in MOGEF, the Policy Planning Officer and the Director of the Rights Promotion Bureau are under acting roles," adding, "One was suspended due to the Jamboree incident, and the other was dispatched to an affiliated agency due to an unfortunate accident. If their duties are impossible to perform, why are they dispatched instead of being disciplined?" He also criticized the appointment of the former Policy Planning Officer to an internal task force related to the Jamboree, saying, "Why assign a position after being on standby? If someone remains without a position for three months, they cannot receive other allowances or benefits, so it seems this position was given after three months."

In response, Vice Minister Shin explained, "We tried to take measures regarding these issues, but the audit is taking longer than expected," adding, "Taking action on a public official's status is not a simple matter." Regarding the vacancy of the Director of the Rights Promotion Bureau, he further explained, "If the vacancy is interpreted as an inability to perform duties, that is not true. There is a department that is fully responsible for those tasks."

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