National Assembly Vice Speaker "Regret Gender Conflict"... Yoon "Narrow View, Will See Bigger Picture"

Meeting Before the National Assembly Speaker's Dinner
Kim Sang-hee, Deputy Speaker, Expresses Regret Over Gender Conflict
Yoon: "Striving to Give Women Bold Opportunities in Public Appointments"
Speaker Group Requests "Efforts for Bipartisan Cooperation and National Assembly Communication"

Biden's Visit Anecdotes Also a Hot Topic
Yoon: "President Ford Visited During My Middle School Years"
Biden: "I've Been in the Senate Since Ford's Time"
Park: "I've Been a Lawmaker for 22 Years but Still Junior"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] On the 24th, President Yoon Suk-yeol pledged, "I will strive to give bold opportunities to women in public office appointments. I think my perspective was narrow because I had just started politics, but now I will try to see things more broadly."

President Yoon made these remarks on the 24th during a meeting before a dinner with the leadership of the 21st National Assembly’s first half, whose term is about to expire, at the Yongsan Presidential Office, according to spokesperson Kang In-sun.

President Yoon first said, "Recently, while reviewing candidates for public office, there was a woman among them. Her evaluation was slightly lower than other candidates, and one aide said it was because she was a woman and had not been properly evaluated, which accumulated over time," adding, "That moment was an eye-opener for me."

When Kim Sang-hee, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, expressed regret over gender conflicts, saying, "There were many discussions and unnecessary conflicts during the presidential election phase, but the election period and post-election are different," President Yoon responded accordingly.

This stance somewhat differs from President Yoon’s previous principle of meritocracy, where he stated he would not implement quotas or allocations for women. The Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s cabinet tends to have a relatively high proportion of Seoul National University graduates, males, and people in their 50s and 60s. The term "Seo-O-Nam" (Seoul, Old, Male) has been coined in public discourse. Among the 19 cabinet members including the Prime Minister, only three are women (Kim Hyun-sook, Lee Young, Han Hwa-jin), and among 41 vice ministers and vice minister-level officials, only two are women (Lee No-gong, Lee Ki-soon).

President Yoon’s remarks appear to be an explanation in response to negative public and foreign media evaluations regarding the announced abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the low proportion of women in the cabinet.

During the joint press conference at the recent Korea-US summit, a Washington Post reporter pointed out the low percentage of women in the cabinet. Additionally, Time magazine, which selected the 100 most influential people in the world this year, labeled President Yoon as "The populist leader" in relation to gender issues. Time noted, "This populist leader promised to heal economic and political divisions," adding, "(This promise) became necessary after an election campaign that weaponized anti-feminist rhetoric to stir conflict."

Park Byeong-seok, Speaker of the National Assembly, said, "As the first Prime Minister of the new government, the appointment was made carefully. Now it is time for the ruling party to respond," and requested, "I hope you respect bipartisan cooperation." He continued, "The most important things are national unity, gap reduction, and new growth engines. Through politics, I have come to believe that no matter how good a policy is, it is meaningless without the people," and added, "I hope President Yoon succeeds. I also expect him to work together in the process of maintaining and creating peace regarding North Korea policy."

Deputy Speaker Kim Sang-hee expressed gratitude for the ruling party leading most of the People Power Party members, ministers, and aides to attend the May 18 Democratic Uprising memorial ceremony, saying, "The public must have thought that there would be no partisan conflicts related to the May 18 memorial now." She also urged continuous communication with the National Assembly.

Deputy Speaker Jeong Jin-seok said, "The presidential office tends to be authoritative and restrictive, but it is not like that here," and expressed appreciation for the efforts to bring about such change.

During the meeting, President Yoon and the leadership also mentioned conversations held when U.S. President Joe Biden visited Korea. Speaker Park recalled, "I asked President Biden, 'How long have you been a senator?' and President Yoon said beside me, '36 years as a senator, 8 years as vice president,'" adding, "When Biden asked me how long I had served, I said '22 years,' and he laughed." Speaker Park is a six-term lawmaker, the longest-serving in the National Assembly. He added, "I have served the longest in Korea, but by U.S. standards, I am still a junior."

President Yoon also shared, "We talked in this room (the office), and I said, 'When I was in middle school, I remember U.S. President Gerald Ford visiting Korea and us welcoming him on the road near Gimpo Airport,' and President Biden said, 'I was already a senator back then during Ford’s time,'" which brought laughter from the attendees.

The anecdote about Speaker Park being invited late to the dinner with President Biden was also mentioned. President Yoon said, "On the morning of the dinner day, I called Speaker Park and said, 'Thank you for approving the Prime Minister yesterday, and I will see you tonight,' but he said, 'I am not the target,' so I wondered what he meant."

Chief Secretary Kim Dae-gi added, "(At that time) it was not a state banquet." Speaker Park replied, "Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Lee Jin-bok called late asking me to come to the dinner, but I said, 'I have plans tonight, so I will not go. Please just convey my thanks,' and he said, 'No, you must come,'" which caused laughter again. President Yoon said, "When the presidential office contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the protocol chief probably personally brought Speaker Park."

Meanwhile, those attending the meeting included Speaker Park Byeong-seok, Deputy Speakers Jeong Jin-seok and Kim Sang-hee, Secretary General of the National Assembly Lee Chun-seok, Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Dae-gi, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Lee Jin-bok, and Senior Secretary for Public Relations Choi Young-beom. The term of the 21st National Assembly’s first half leadership ends on the 29th. However, Deputy Speaker Jeong Jin-seok, who was elected late as the People Power Party’s representative, will serve until December 31 of this year.

The dinner held after the meeting took place at the Ministry of National Defense Convention Center from 6:46 p.m. for two hours.