Yoon: "Abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is to further strengthen protection for women, families, children, and socially vulnerable groups"

President Yoon: "We should move away from the perspective of calling victims in power-related sexual misconduct cases 'complainants'"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] President Yoon Suk-yeol emphasized on the 7th that the government's plan to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is "to further strengthen the protection of women, families, children, and socially vulnerable groups."

When a reporter asked President Yoon on his way to the Yongsan Presidential Office whether he thought the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family would pass, given that opposition party cooperation is needed, he replied, "It is not easy for me to predict the situation in the National Assembly," adding this explanation.

He further stated, "So-called issues of sexual misconduct due to abuse of power should completely break away from the perspective of the complainant, and protection for women will be further strengthened."

This is interpreted as a reiteration of criticism that during the 2020 sexual harassment case involving the late Park Won-soon, former Mayor of Seoul, the Democratic Party and others referred to the female victim as a "complainant," which was widely criticized as secondary victimization, while the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family remained silent.

Meanwhile, regarding the recognition of the effectiveness of the People Power Party's 'Jung Jin-seok Emergency Committee' and the Central Ethics Committee's additional disciplinary decision against former leader Lee Jun-seok, he said, "Well, please ask me a different question. I have never responded to party affairs, have I?"