BISTEP Receives Minister of Gender Equality and Family Commendation for Contributions to Gender-Equal Organizational Culture

Comprehensive Gender Equality Initiatives Recognized
Including Education, Psychological Counseling, and Work-Life Balance Systems

On December 3, the Busan Institute of Science and Technology Promotion (BISTEP), led by President Kim Youngbu, received an institutional commendation from the Minister of Gender Equality and Family at the "2025 Gender-Equal Organizational Culture Promotion Project Performance Sharing Workshop" held at Seoul YWCA.

BISTEP is receiving a commendation from the Minister of Gender Equality and Family for its contribution to creating a gender-equal organizational culture and is taking a commemorative photo. Photo by BISTEP

This award recognizes BISTEP’s comprehensive efforts, including gender equality education, psychological counseling programs, work-life balance systems, and a fair personnel management system, all of which have been highly evaluated. BISTEP was also selected as an exemplary case presenter at the workshop and shared its key achievements.

As an organization funded by Busan Metropolitan City, BISTEP has implemented a variety of policies to foster a gender-equal ecosystem in the local community. The institute currently operates effective programs such as gender sensitivity training, the employee psychological counseling program "Nak-Nak (Knock-Rak)," and the return-to-work support program for parental leave "Working Mom·Dad Re:Spec."

This year, through regular personnel appointments, BISTEP appointed its first-ever female department head and increased the proportion of women in leadership positions. The institute also newly introduced capacity-building programs for the growing number of female employees each year.

To promote a work-life balance culture, BISTEP has activated various systems, including Family Love Day, flexible work arrangements, family care leave and absences, and parental leave. Notably, 75% of employees returning (or scheduled to return) from parental leave have been promoted or appointed to key positions, reflecting the establishment of a performance-based and fair personnel evaluation system.

Additionally, BISTEP has established a system to incorporate employee feedback into policy and institutional improvements through one-on-one meetings between the president and staff called "BISTEP Talk-Talk" and through organizational innovation contests.

President Kim Youngbu stated, "This award is the result of our continuous efforts to create a healthy organizational culture based on diversity and inclusion. We will further strengthen our communication system, where the voices of our members lead to institutional improvements, and establish ourselves as a trusted organization dedicated to science and technology policy in Busan."

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