"Discussing Youth's Body and Mind"... Gender Equality Unboxing Talk with the Minister

Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to Hold Policy Forum on April 29

On-Site Policy Proposals and Communication with Youth

Over 50 Participants Including Experts and Young People... Live Broadcast on YouTube

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will hold a policy forum to promote the physical and mental health of young people.

On April 29 at 2:00 p.m., the ministry will host the "1st Gender Balance Field Proposal – Gender Equality Unboxing Talk" at Community House Masil in Jung-gu, Seoul.

This event aims to explore, through dialogue, the biases and unknown facts related to gender that young people have experienced or recognized, and to connect these discussions to policy agendas. The Gender Equality Unboxing Talk will continue through November this year, with a total of four sessions, each focusing on a different topic for communication with youth.

The theme of the first Gender Balance Field Proposal is "Opening the Box of Youth's Body and Mind by Gender." Experts and young people will jointly examine mental health issues such as depression and suicide, which manifest differently depending on gender, as well as the aspects of physical health including sexual and reproductive health rights.

The event will be attended by approximately 50 young people, including three youth panelists currently working in the field or with relevant experience, members of the 2030 generation selected through an open call, and youth representatives from the "Youth Coexistence and Empathy Committee" operated by the ministry.

The program will proceed in the following order: expert presentations, youth panel discussions, and on-site policy proposals.

Moon Juhyun, Associate Research Fellow at the Korean Women's Development Institute (Ph.D. in Public Health), will analyze how young people experience and express depression and anxiety differently depending on gender. She will also examine the impact of social appearance pressure, safety, and economic issues on the psychological distress of young people, as well as the gender role stereotypes that contribute to the high suicide rate among the youth generation.

Kim Dongsik, Senior Research Fellow at the Korean Women's Development Institute (Ph.D. in Public Health), will emphasize the need to guarantee sexual and reproductive health and rights considering gender characteristics. He will discuss policy cases that have improved gender imbalance, such as the expansion of spousal childbirth and miscarriage leave, and address issues related to menstruation, abortion, and infertility treatment. Afterward, the three youth panelists will share their perspectives through representative questions, followed by a session for direct communication with the audience of young participants.

This event will be broadcast live through the official YouTube channel of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, allowing anyone to watch in real time and make policy suggestions via comments. Minister Won Minkyung stated, "We will listen to voices from the field and carefully examine differences in health experiences and perceptions by gender, providing policy support accordingly."

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