"Ministry of Gender Equality Fails to Uphold Role in Promoting Gender Equality with Butter Knife Crew"

Business Entities Urge Ministry of Gender Equality to Normalize Butter Knife Crew Project
"Not Just One Project Lost, But Silencing Gender Equality Policy Direction and Regression"
"Project Abolition and Ministry Closure Cannot Be Minister's Role"

The Butter Knife Crew Normalization Joint Countermeasures Committee is holding a press conference in front of the Government Seoul Office Building on the 1st.

As the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's 'Butter Knife Crew' project enters the process of being abolished, the stakeholders who have been preparing the project have come forward demanding normalization, calling it a measure that regresses gender equality policies.

On the 1st, the Butter Knife Crew Normalization Joint Countermeasures Committee held a press conference in front of the Government Seoul Office, stating, "The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has abandoned its responsibility and role of fostering a gender-equal culture by abolishing the Butter Knife Crew project," and criticized, "This is not just the disappearance of a single project but the first step in silencing the government's gender equality policy stance and a decision that regresses the level of gender equality in society." The joint committee consists of Parti, the project operator, and 16 teams selected for the project.

The committee said, "A minister's role cannot be to abolish the Butter Knife Crew and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family," and pointed out, "Minister Kim Hyun-sook must now put aside her personal obstinacy of abolishing the Butter Knife Crew."

Earlier, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family launched the 4th Butter Knife Crew on June 30 but announced a full review of the project just five days later. On July 4, Kwon Seong-dong, a member of the People Power Party, criticized on social media that the project intensified gender conflicts and biased tax support toward a specific ideology, and the project was overturned the next day. Minister Kim Hyun-sook recently appeared before the National Assembly's Gender Equality Committee and stated that the project is "planned to be abolished."

Parti pointed out that the project, which had completed the announcement, screening, ministerial approval, and launch ceremony, was unilaterally halted. According to meeting minutes released by Parti, on July 21, a Ministry of Gender Equality and Family official said, "It would be good to change the project, which has been focused only on women, to one that also considers men. Most groups have plans, so it may be difficult, but if that is not possible, it will be hard to proceed together."

The Butter Knife Crew is a project that supports teams carrying out activities to spread a culture of gender equality. This year, special fields included keywords emphasized by Minister Kim Hyun-sook since her inauguration, such as gender equality, easing gender conflicts, creating a fair youth job environment, and mental care. Parti criticized the minister for distorting facts by dismissing participating citizens with expressions like "not meeting the public's expectations," "not involving 'ordinary youth'," and "waste of tax money," thereby stigmatizing and showing contempt. Previously, over 14,000 people participated in a public petition demanding the normalization of the Butter Knife Crew project.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has yet to recover from the backlash following the suspension of the Butter Knife Crew project. Coincidentally, September 1 marks the start of Gender Equality Week. The joint committee urged, "Gender equality is a value of equality enshrined in the Constitution. Actions that regress gender equality must stop immediately," and called on the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to normalize the Butter Knife Crew and the government to expand policies for fostering a gender-equal culture and strengthen gender equality functions.