Asked About Calls to Abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality... Minister Jeong Young-ae Cites "Lack of Response to Political Incidents"

Assemblyman I Yang-su "Did not speak up when it was necessary"
Minister Jeong Young-ae also admits "Insufficient response to political incidents"
Both ruling and opposition lawmakers call for 'Changes in the Role of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family'

Jeong Young-ae, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, is attending the National Assembly's Gender Equality and Family Committee's audit held on the 22nd, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Han Jinju and Jeon Jinyoung] The abolition debate was also mentioned during the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) audit. Criticism arose that the ministry did not respond appropriately when the sexual violence cases involving former mayors Park Won-soon and Oh Keo-don became known.

At the National Assembly’s Gender Equality and Family Committee audit on the 22nd, Minister Jeong Young-ae of MOGEF responded to the reason behind the abolition debate by saying, "I think it was influenced by the ministry’s inadequate response to various political incidents last year."

Lee Yang-su, a member of the People Power Party, pointed out, "On the Blue House petition board, petitions to abolish MOGEF exceeded 2,000. When the issues of former mayors Park Won-soon and Oh Keo-don surfaced at the end of last year, 72% responded that MOGEF’s operation was wrong, and as of July, 48% supported the abolition of MOGEF."

Lee said, "MOGEF is not responding appropriately. Problems arose because the ministry did not speak out when it should have, such as during the secondary victimization of the sexual violence victims of former mayors Park and Oh, or during the Justice Memory Solidarity incident," adding, "Regardless of political factions, the ministry must speak with conviction according to its founding purpose. A thorough reflection is necessary."

Yang Geum-hee, also from the People Power Party, stated, "MOGEF received a 'poor' rating in government performance evaluations and ranked only 17th to 18th in public opinion surveys. Although the ministry has made efforts and achieved results, objective analysis of the causes behind these continuous evaluations and the abolition debate is needed, along with changes."

There was also a call for reconsidering the role of MOGEF. Cho Seung-rae of the Democratic Party said, "Rather than debating abolition or retention, we need to consider how MOGEF should evolve. Since the ministry handles not only women-centered policies but also gender equality-related policies, its role should be reconsidered from this perspective." Minister Jeong responded, "I fully agree."

Proposals to rename the ministry to something like the "Ministry of Gender Equality and Family" were also raised. Jang Kyung-tae of the Democratic Party said, "We might consider changing the '여 (female)' in MOGEF to '如 (equal)' or names like the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family or Ministry of Youth. Many citizens expect active administrative efforts from MOGEF in cases such as the female soldier suicide incident and dating violence, which caused nationwide outrage, but the ministry faces difficulties due to limited authority and scope."

Minister Jeong replied, "Including the name change, there are areas such as handling sexual violence cases where, if conditions improve, the ministry can do more, so I ask for your interest in these matters."