"There Were No Women Suitable for Ministerial Appointment Is a Poor Excuse"
"We Must Confront Structural Gender Discrimination"
President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the joint press conference of the South Korea-US summit held at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul on the 21st. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Regarding the criticism of "male dominance" during the joint press conference of the Korea-US summit, the Democratic Party of Korea raised their voices toward President Yoon Seok-yeol, saying he "showed an embarrassing perception of gender equality to the international community."
Lee Su-jin, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office on the afternoon of the 22nd and said, "President Yoon's response to the male-dominated appointments in the cabinet was a lame attempt to evade responsibility."
Earlier, at the joint press conference of the Korea-US summit the previous day, a reporter from the Washington Post (WP) in the United States, who was given the opportunity to ask a question, asked President Yoon, "Currently, there are only men in the cabinet rather than women," and "What plans do you have to improve women's representation in an economic powerhouse like South Korea?"
In response, President Yoon said, "In the public service sector, for example, when it comes to cabinet ministers, women have not risen much to the positions just below that," and added, "It is because fair opportunities for women have not been actively guaranteed until recently. We plan to guarantee such opportunities more actively."
Regarding this, spokesperson Lee pointed out, "In the Yoon Seok-yeol cabinet, including the Prime Minister, there are 3 women among the 19 cabinet members. Among 41 vice minister and vice minister-level appointments, only 2 are women, and a person who advocates for the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family was appointed as the minister in charge of women's policies," adding, "The lame excuse that there were no women worthy of being appointed as ministers is a cowardly evasion of responsibility to hide the lack of will for gender-equal appointments."
She continued, "During his candidacy, President Yoon blatantly revealed a distorted perception of gender equality by saying 'there is no structural gender discrimination,'" and added, "If the Yoon Seok-yeol government insists on 'abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family' and continues male-centered appointments, gender equality in the Republic of Korea will remain a distant goal."
Furthermore, spokesperson Lee emphasized, "Face the structural gender discrimination women face," and "urge a fundamental change in perception regarding gender equality."
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