[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] A national petition urging the enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Act has reached 100,000 signatures and has been referred to the relevant standing committee. On the 16th, Lee Sang-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced that he would introduce the "Equality Act," centered on the Anti-Discrimination Act, as the principal sponsor.
At a press conference held at the National Assembly on the same day, Lee stated, "It prohibits unfair discrimination for any reason in all areas," adding, "The purpose is to resolve polarization through substantive equality."
The bill specifies that no one shall be discriminated against for any reason without just cause, including gender, disability, medical history, age, country of origin or ethnicity, marital status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, social status, and effectively provides remedies for such damages.
Lee had previously introduced the Anti-Discrimination Act as the principal sponsor. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea defined the scope of anti-discrimination to four major areas: employment, goods and services, education, and public services. Regarding the difference between the Equality Act and the Anti-Discrimination Act, he said, "Instead of the four areas recommended by the Human Rights Commission, this bill contains provisions to eliminate unfair discrimination in all areas."
However, the criminal penalty provisions recommended by the Human Rights Commission were omitted from this Equality Act proposal. Lee explained, "Due to various controversies and ambiguities regarding the principle of legality, we decided to review the enactment through social public discussion later."
Lee emphasized, "Opponents are pressuring us with text messages and phone bombings, but I think it is useless. Rather, it shows that this law needs to be enacted quickly," and added, "We will adopt it as the Democratic Party's official stance and obtain an absolute majority agreement in the National Assembly to pass it as soon as possible."
At the press conference, lawmakers Kwon In-sook, Lee Soo-jin, Park Joo-min, and Park Yong-jin participated. A total of 24 lawmakers, including Choi Kang-wook of the Open Democratic Party, co-sponsored the bill.
Lawmaker Kwon, who attended the conference, told reporters, "This is a law with a high approval rate even among church members. Opposition opinions were mainly from some misinterpreters," and added, "Even within Christianity, the younger generation's recognition of this law is high, so considering the overall public opinion and the level of our society, I think the conclusion that the Democratic Party can make is clear."
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