Kim Hyun-sook "Having Independent Ministry Ministers Does Not Mean Strong Status"... Concerns Over Abandonment of Gender Equality Policy (Comprehensive)

Minister Kim Hyun-sook of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, "Disagree" with Criticism of 'Phase-Change' Abolition Proposal
On Concerns Over Abolishing the Gender Equality Control Tower, "Strengthening Women's Protection"
"Ministry's Opinions Reflected in Organizational Restructuring Plan, Current Proposal Is the Best"
Concerns Over Ambiguous Responsibility, Lack of Gender Perspective, and Instrumentalization of Women in Population Policy

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Kim Hyun-sook is explaining the government's plan to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family at the briefing room of the Government Seoul Office Building on the 7th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Minister Kim Hyun-sook of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family stated regarding the downgrading to a headquarters system under the Ministry of Health and Welfare following the abolition of her ministry, "Having an independent ministry with a cabinet member does not necessarily strengthen the organization's status."

At a briefing on government organization reform held at the Government Complex Seoul on the 7th, Minister Kim said, "The status of a minister is strengthened when the scope of work, infrastructure, projects, and budget that a minister can handle are harmonized," adding, "The symbolic existence of a minister was sufficient for the role of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family over the past 20 years."

Regarding interpretations that the abolition plan of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is a political maneuver, Minister Kim rebutted, "I do not agree. It is a deliberately imposed frame," and said, "I have discussed this with experts from various fields, as well as the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Employment and Labor."

Kim Hyun-sook: "Two Speakers for the Gender Equality Promotion System"

If the government organization reform plan announced by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety the previous day passes the National Assembly, the functions of youth and family, gender equality, and rights promotion of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will be transferred to the newly established Population, Family, and Gender Equality Headquarters under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Women's employment affairs will be transferred to the Ministry of Employment and Labor. The head of the headquarters holds a position between a vice minister and a minister.

Minister Kim said, "Since the Ministry of Health and Welfare covers policies on low birthrate, population, and children, the scope of work will be more than twice as large as that of the current Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and the budget will be incomparably larger." She emphasized that the status of the head of the headquarters under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which manages a budget exceeding 100 trillion won, is by no means lower than that of the minister of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which manages a budget of about 1.5 trillion won.

Minister Kim added, "Once the Population, Family, and Gender Equality Headquarters is established, there will be governance above it, and both the Minister of Health and Welfare and the head of the headquarters will attend cabinet meetings," and said, "There will be two speakers who can speak about the gender equality promotion system, and if these two voices are unified, the voice can be stronger."

Government Organization Reform Plan and Policy Promotion Plan Following the Abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family

The government has set the reform directions as △ overcoming the limitations of mini-ministries △ integrating policies by life cycle of family members △ promoting policies that are equal for both genders and generations. The main content is to integrate overlapping youth and child policies by age and to shift gender equality policies toward resolving gender and generational conflicts.

Minister Kim said, "Family, youth, and gender equality policies will be independently and strongly promoted in connection with child and population policies," adding, "The ‘Population, Family, and Gender Equality Headquarters,’ which promotes life cycle-based policies, will be a shortcut to solving population problems." She also said, "The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has failed to reflect the changed social environment and the perceptions of the younger generation, and has not actively responded to gender conflicts and power-based sexual crimes, falling short of public expectations with policies specialized only for ‘women.’"

"Solving Population Problems, Resolving Gender and Generational Conflicts"... Effectively Abandoning Women’s Policies

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Kim Hyun-sook is explaining the government reorganization plan, which focuses on the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, at the briefing room of the Government Seoul Office Building on the 7th. (Photo by Yonhap News)

Emphasizing ‘both men and women’ even in gender equality policies is interpreted as effectively abandoning women’s policies. There are concerns that changes are inevitable in policies related to protecting victims of gender-based violence, care and childcare, and support for women with career interruptions, which are part of gender equality policies.

In response, Minister Kim said, "I will interpret President Yoon’s remarks in the Q&A as meaning that transferring to the Gender Equality Headquarters will strengthen protection and support for women," and added, "Expanding the proportion of women in political power, closing the wage gap in the labor market, and safety-related issues are sufficiently considered, still being considered, and will be further strengthened."

Although the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said it would gather opinions from various sectors to create the reform plan, opinions demanding the retention and strengthening of the ministry’s functions were effectively ignored.

Minister Kim responded, "Although it cannot be said that all the stories from every women’s organization and visitors were perfectly reflected, the opinion not to separate women’s rights work related to violence from gender equality policies was reflected," adding, "The plan was reached through sufficient agreement between the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and gender equality policies were also changed to the form most suitable for the current era. Since the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family’s opinions were reflected, this reform plan is the best under the current circumstances."

Women’s Groups and Academia Express Concerns Over ‘Erasing Women’ and ‘Abolishing Gender Equality Policies’

Women’s groups and academia expressed concerns that the abolition plan of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family means the abolition of gender equality policies. The ministry’s core value was to coordinate government policies from a gender-sensitive perspective and realize gender equality values. There are criticisms that it will be difficult to carry out policies from this perspective under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Even if the newly established headquarters head is given a status higher than a vice minister and equivalent to a minister, the disappearance of the existing minister and vice minister will inevitably make the responsible entity ambiguous.

Professor Shin Kyung-ah of Hallym University said, "The minister and vice minister should have the authority to promote policies, but there are many inter-ministerial coordination tasks related to gender equality, so it is questionable what the headquarters head can do. Since there are laws according to the relevant statutes, projects must continue, but the headquarters head will not be in a position to oversee and take responsibility for policies," and pointed out, "Just removing the packaging called the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family does not mean policies or tasks disappear. There is a very high possibility of moving toward population and childbirth promotion policies without a gender equality perspective."

Women’s groups defined the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family as a regression to 20 years ago and a return to the ‘women’s welfare era,’ which viewed women as tools for population policy. One hundred fifteen women’s organizations stated, "Linking gender equality policy promotion explicitly with population and family is no different from declaring the intention to treat women again as tools for population ‘production’ and confine them to the family domain, which is a complete regression from the perspective of gender-equal democracy."

Kim Min-moon-jung, co-representative of the Korean Women’s Associations United, said, "Twenty-two years ago, under the name of women’s welfare, women were treated as protected subjects subordinate to men, but the start of the Ministry of Gender Equality in 2001 was to create policies from a ‘gender equality’ perspective," adding, "Since the establishment of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, policies and systems on gender-based violence have greatly developed, and including rights promotion work in the Ministry of Health and Welfare while going against this history of change ultimately treats women as ‘service recipients’ rather than rights holders."