Professor Lee Ihyojae, Pioneer of Korean Women's Movement, Passes Away

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Professor Emerita Yi Hyo-jae, who laid the foundation for the women's movement in Korea, passed away on the 4th at the age of 96.

She was born in 1924 in Masan, Gyeongnam. In 1958, she joined her alma mater Ewha Womans University as a professor by establishing the Department of Sociology. Having completed her doctoral coursework in sociology at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), she led the establishment of the country's first undergraduate women's studies course in 1977. While dedicating herself to women's studies research suited to Korean circumstances, she also led the early women's movement as the founding president of the Korean Women's Minwoo Association and as president of the Korean National Council of Women. Her efforts included the abolition of the family registry system (Hojukje), equal pay for equal work, introduction of proportional representation for National Assembly members, 50% female quota system, joint use of parents' surnames, and elimination of discriminatory seniority pay. In 1980, she participated in a declaration against the military regime responsible for the Gwangju massacre, which led to her dismissal from her professorship and later reinstatement, enduring hardship in the process.

She also participated in the formation of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (Jeongdae-hyeop). In 1991, she served as co-representative and helped bring international attention to the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery. As a sociologist, she was also very active. She pioneered "division sociology," analyzing the impact of the division of Korea on women, families, and social structures. From 1997, she operated the "Miracle Library" with local women in her hometown.

She is survived by her daughter Lee Hee-kyung and siblings Lee Eun-hwa (former Ewha Womans University professor), Hyo-sook, and Sung-sook. The funeral will be held as a women's funeral organized by women's organizations. Joint funeral committee chairs include Kwon In-sook, member of the Democratic Party of Korea; Kim Sang-hee, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly; Kim Young-soon, representative of the Korean National Council of Women; Lee Na-young, chairperson of the Justice and Memory Foundation; Jang Pil-hwa, chairperson of the Korean Women's Foundation; former ministers Jang Ha-jin and Ji Eun-hee; Choi Young-ae, chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission; and former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook. The funeral hall is at Changwon Gyeongsang National University Hospital, with the funeral procession scheduled for 8 a.m. on the 6th.

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