Lee Sujeong: "Korea's Gender Equality Level Is Not a Serious Indicator"... Advocates for 'Abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family'

Professor Lee Su-jeong, Department of Criminal Psychology, Kyonggi University.
Photo by Yonhap News

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[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Professor Lee Soo-jung of the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University expressed support for the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF), stating that "(Korean) women's rights are not necessarily unequal."

On the 5th, Professor Lee participated in a forum held at the National Assembly's 2nd Small Conference Room in Yeouido, Seoul, themed "Abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, What Are the Alternatives?" and said, "It is not correct to think that the status of women has not improved at all today."

She cited various gender equality indices, saying, "According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) report, Korea's Gender Gap Index (GGI) ranks 102nd out of 156 countries, which is low, but it is not a severe indicator like the world's highest suicide rate for 20 years. Also, the United Nations' Gender Inequality Index ranks 11th out of 189 countries and 1st in Asia."

She continued, "The future Korea faces requires the establishment of a ministry that considers population decline more than women's rights," emphasizing, "There is a need to discover new agendas for the future encompassing population policy, suicide prevention, and child abuse prevention."

However, Professor Lee also acknowledged that MOGEF has achieved various accomplishments over the past 20 years, such as abolishing the family registry system and the crime of family members reporting each other, deleting digital sex crime victim videos, establishing a youth protection system, and introducing three laws for maternal protection, thereby supporting diverse family policies.

Nevertheless, she raised concerns about the numerous interest groups under MOGEF and the government's financial support to these interest groups.

Professor Lee stated, "The biggest criticism from the public is that it is difficult to respond even when embezzlement and misuse occur due to government funding," and argued, "There is a need to restore public trust regarding the unfair execution of the budget."

She added, "Although foreign media point out that many countries worldwide have departments related to women, Korea is abolishing such a ministry," but also noted, "Only a few countries, such as Germany, have separate ministries like Korea's MOGEF."

However, this is not accurate. According to the Korean Women's Development Institute, as of 2020, 194 countries have dedicated gender equality organizations. In terms of ministry types, 160 countries have independent ministries, 13 have subordinate organizations, 17 have committees, and 4 have other non-governmental organization types.

Furthermore, as interest in women and gender increases, there is a trend toward transitioning government organizations to independent ministries with greater authority.

Meanwhile, as an alternative to abolishing MOGEF, Professor Lee suggested establishing a presidential-level Gender Equality Committee to support gender equality officers in each ministry, and having the Ministry of Employment and Labor's Women's Policy Division, the National Police Agency's Women's Safety Planning Division, and the Ministry of Justice's Victim Support Bureau carry out MOGEF's tasks. She added that as a secondary option, the establishment of a Future Family Ministry could be considered.

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