Rising Calls for the Enactment of the 'Anti-Discrimination Act'... 100,000 Actions by Civic Groups

First Proposed During the 2007 Participatory Government
Still Pending in the 21st National Assembly
151 Civic Groups Participate in the Anti-Discrimination Law Enactment Coalition
Targeting Over 100,000 Signatures for National Consent Petition

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The ‘Coalition for the Enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Act,’ composed of 151 civic groups nationwide demanding the enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Act, will launch the ‘100,000 Actions for the Enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Act’ starting from the 25th. This 100,000 Actions campaign begins with submitting a national petition to the National Assembly urging the enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Act. A national petition that receives more than 100,000 consents within a month is referred to the relevant committee of the National Assembly for review.

The petition is reportedly being made by the party involved in the previously controversial ‘Dong-A Pharmaceutical Recruitment Gender Discrimination Case.’ When the issue arose, Dong-A Pharmaceutical posted an apology on its website under the name of CEO Choi Ho-jin, stating, "There were questions during the recruitment interview process in the second half of 2020 that constituted gender discrimination," and "We express our apologies to the applicants and young people." The Coalition for the Enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Act held a press conference to announce the 100,000 Actions at 2 p.m. on the 24th at the Women’s Future Center in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, and plans to hold regional press conferences in Daegu, Daejeon, Gyeonggi, and other areas. Since the 15th of last month, they have also been continuing the ‘Thursday Actions’ every week to urge the enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Act.

The effort to enact the ‘Anti-Discrimination Act,’ first initiated by the government during the Roh Moo-hyun administration in 2007, continues through the 21st National Assembly. On June 29 of last year, the bill was introduced to the National Assembly by Representative Jang Hye-young of the Justice Party and is currently pending in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the relevant committee. This bill prohibits all types of discrimination based on gender, disability, age, language, country of origin/ethnicity, nationality, appearance, and other physical conditions, as well as sexual orientation, gender identity, academic background, health status, and more.

According to the ‘Public Perception Survey on Discrimination’ conducted by the National Human Rights Commission last year, 88.5% of respondents answered that ‘legislation to guarantee equality rights is necessary.’ The Human Rights Commission explained, "A comprehensive and general equality law covering all forms of discrimination in society has the strength of preventing vertical hierarchies among discrimination factors and applying consistent and unified standards." However, the Anti-Discrimination Act has continuously been a subject of social debate. There has been opposition from some conservative religious groups regarding the inclusion of ‘sexual orientation,’ and criticism that the introduction of ‘punitive damages’ for discriminatory acts included in the current bill is an excessive measure. Since there are many individual laws prohibiting discrimination under current law, there are also claims that social discussion and consensus-building are necessary to determine whether a separate comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Act is needed.

In response, the Coalition for the Enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Act stated, "Saying we will do it later is no different from saying we will not do it," and added, "Actions urging the enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Act, which is a promise of equality, will continue until the Anti-Discrimination Act passes the plenary session of the National Assembly."