Posted "Yeogabu Abolition" in Seven Characters on Facebook
Heated Reactions from "Idaenam" Including "Can't Help but Vote" and "Totally Welcome"
Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, posted this message on his Facebook on the 7th. This post sparked an explosive reaction, especially among "I-dae-nam" (men in their 20s). Photo by Yoon candidate's Facebook capture
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "Abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family."
This was a post by Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, on his Facebook page on the afternoon of the 7th. Without any further explanation, this seven-character phrase sparked explosive support among men in their 20s (Idaenam). As of 8:30 a.m. on the 9th, the post had over 10,000 comments, and discussions and public debates about Yoon’s post have been spreading across various online communities. The Idaenam responded with strong positive reactions such as "We have no choice but to vote for him," "Isn't this a secret weapon?" and "Yoon Seok-yeol for president!"
◆ Ministry of Gender Equality and Family: Name Changes and Abolition Debates Among Presidential Candidates
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) was established during the Kim Dae-jung administration, which had pledged to create a Ministry of Women. The Presidential Commission on Women, formed in 1998, was elevated to the Ministry of Women in 2001, becoming an official government ministry. Later, in 2005, the Roh Moo-hyun administration renamed it the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family by integrating family and infant care duties from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
During the Lee Myung-bak administration, there was an attempt to merge MOGEF into the Ministry of Health and Welfare, but due to backlash, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family was downsized to the Ministry of Women in 2008. In 2010, the Ministry of Women took over youth protection and multicultural family affairs, reverting its name back to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which it has maintained since.
According to the Government Organization Act, the ministry is responsible for planning and coordinating women's policies, promoting women's rights and status, and managing youth and family-related affairs. Its purpose is to ensure that no one experiences discrimination or violence regardless of gender. It is not limited to women's rights but also prevents sexual and domestic violence and supports victims. Additionally, it oversees family policies that include multicultural families.
Moon Jae-in, then leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is making a heart shape before having a conversation with members of local mom cafes nationwide on the morning of March 16, 2017, at Delight Square in Hapjeong-dong, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The controversy over abolishing MOGEF has also surfaced in previous presidential election campaigns. On May 2, 2017, during the final presidential debate hosted by the National Election Commission at MBC Sangam Management Center, then-candidates Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party and Yoo Seung-min of the Bareun Party clashed over the issue of whether to maintain or abolish MOGEF.
During a free discussion on welfare and education, Yoo stated, "I advocate for abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family," adding, "Women-related policies can be handled by departments within the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and the Ministry of Employment and Labor that focus on maternal protection. Each ministry can expand its responsibilities. The ministry’s budget is tiny, and there are few civil servants. Why have a ministerial position for political purposes?"
In response, Moon argued, "The Ministry of Women was created under the Kim Dae-jung administration and expanded to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family under the Roh Moo-hyun administration. When the Lee Myung-bak administration tried to abolish it, women's organizations opposed it. The efforts by individual ministries are insufficient, so a ministry that oversees the entire policy is necessary."
◆ At the Center of Youth Gender Conflicts... Declining Favorability
As with the differing opinions of the presidential candidates at the time, fierce debates have also erupted among citizens regarding MOGEF. Kim, a male office worker in his 20s, said, "I want to ask what MOGEF has actually done so far," adding, "I am not ignoring women's rights. I just hope presidential candidates pay more attention so that MOGEF can work properly."
On the other hand, Park, a female office worker in her 30s, said, "MOGEF is not only concerned with women but provides various support to anyone who is a victim of sexual violence," adding, "The controversy continues because it starts from gender issues involving both women and men."
Meanwhile, public favorability toward MOGEF and agreement with its policies have declined compared to the previous year. According to a report on the '2021 Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Major Policy Awareness Survey' submitted to Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the People Power Party on the 9th, MOGEF conducted a survey from November 17 to 22 to gauge public perception of the ministry and its key policies.
The survey, commissioned to the polling agency Macromill Embrain and conducted nationwide among 1,200 men and women aged 16 to 59, showed that favorability and overall agreement with MOGEF policies remained low in the 40-point range. Favorability toward MOGEF was 43.4 points, down 3 points from 46.4 points the previous year. Awareness of MOGEF was 62.5 points, slightly down from 62.0 points the previous year.
Awareness of MOGEF policies was 53.3 points, similar to 53.1 points the previous year, but agreement with the policies dropped to 44.3 points from 46.7 points the previous year, a decrease of 2.4 points. Favorability, agreement, and awareness were scored on a 1 to 5 scale (from "not at all" to "very much") and converted to a 100-point average scale.
By gender, awareness of MOGEF was higher among men (64.8 points) than women (59.1 points), but favorability was much higher among women (55.6 points) than men (31.9 points). Among key policies, awareness was highest for the sex offender information disclosure system at 67.3 points, while awareness of work-life balance promotion was low at 43.8 points.
Agreement with key policies was also highest for the sex offender information disclosure system at 74.4 points, followed by childcare services (65.6 points) and support for domestic violence victims (65.0 points). Agreement with gender equality policies and cultural expansion was the lowest at 47.9 points. When asked which policy respondents felt had changed the most due to government focus last year (ranking 1 to 3), 35.5% chose childcare services, followed by the sex offender information disclosure system (34.2%) and digital sex crime eradication (28.5%).
When asked which policy MOGEF should prioritize most, 38.1% of respondents chose support for domestic violence victims, followed by support for sexual violence victims (35.9%) and childcare services (30.2%).
Rep. Kim said, "MOGEF was cowardly and incompetent in dealing with power-based sexual crimes, and its neutrality is being questioned ahead of the presidential election," adding, "No matter how good the policies are, if trust is broken and there is no public sympathy, there will be limits. A strenuous effort to restore trust is necessary."
Meanwhile, on the 8th, after attending the 'Korean Developmental Disability Artists Special Exhibition' held at the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Yoon told reporters, "The current position is to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family." Through Facebook, he also outlined a new pledge to "establish a ministry that comprehensively addresses issues of children, families, and population decline, rather than dividing by gender anymore."
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