Kim Hyun-sook, Who Agreed to Abolish the Ministry, Inaugurated: "The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Must Undergo a Major Transformation to Meet Public Expectations"

"Another Opportunity to Open a New Chapter Beyond Ministry Limits"
Emphasizing Roles in Work-Family Balance, Diverse Families, and Resolving Gender Conflicts
"A Ministry for Social Integration Is Urgently Needed"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Kim Hyun-sook, the newly appointed Minister of Gender Equality and Family, stated on the 17th, "The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family must seriously contemplate the mission of the era we must uphold and undergo a major transformation to become a ministry that meets the public's expectations."

In her inaugural speech, Minister Kim said, "I am confident that now is another opportunity to open a new chapter for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family beyond its current limitations," adding, "We will establish a new paradigm for the ministry suited to the new era, present it to the public, and prepare concrete implementation plans."

Minister Kim mentioned the achievements of the ministry, including the abolition of the family registry system (hojuje), improvements in laws and systems for gender employment equality, and the establishment and implementation of measures to prevent gender-based violence, while acknowledging, "It is true that there were also disappointments compared to expectations," and stated, "Recognizing the shortcomings can be the start of a new beginning."

She emphasized that the ministry must rise as a 'social integration ministry' by addressing work-family balance and resolving gender conflicts amid changing demographic structures.

She said, "In the rapidly changing demographic structure due to low birthrates and aging, we must actively undertake necessary future tasks to enable work-family balance for family members, guarantee stable living conditions for diverse families, and support the healthy growth of future generations such as children and adolescents."

She continued, "Our ministry's new role is to jointly consider gender conflicts and the difficulties faced by the younger generation and resolve generational conflicts," adding, "It is a critical time when a social integration ministry that can consider men and women, the elderly and children alike is urgently needed."

Regarding the implementation of national tasks, she said, "Focusing on the task of 'realizing a society where no one is left behind in the family and everyone participates together,' we will devote efforts to establishing a meticulous care support system, supporting diverse families such as single-parent and multicultural families, assisting victims of the five major types of violence including power-based sexual crimes, and providing tailored support for out-of-school and at-risk youth."

This includes plans to expand childcare services, support child-rearing expenses for single-parent families, assist in enforcing child support payments, and strengthen support for victims of the five major types of violence (power-based sexual crimes, digital sexual crimes, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking crimes).

Minister Kim said, "We will expand government support for childcare services and significantly improve service quality," and "We will strengthen support for child-rearing expenses for low-income single-parent families and streamline systems to support the enforcement of child support payments."

She urged the ministry staff, saying, "I will bear the difficult and heavy burdens first and take on the toughest tasks first," and added, "We are public servants for the people, so let us do our best to fulfill our mission of the era."