Presidential Office on Acting Vice Minister of Gender Equality and Family: "Yoon's Will to Fulfill Abolition Pledge"

Vice Minister Shinyoungsuk Leads Organizational Restructuring... Preliminary Steps for De Facto Abolition

The government’s decision to leave the Minister of Gender Equality and Family position vacant and operate under an acting vice minister system is understood to reflect President Yoon Seok-yeol’s commitment to fulfilling his campaign promise to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF). Although abolishing MOGEF requires amending the Government Organization Act and cannot be immediately realized due to strong opposition from the major opposition party, preparatory work for the ministry’s abolition at the government level can proceed.

A presidential office official told Asia Economy on the 22nd, “The abolition of MOGEF is President Yoon’s campaign pledge, and even before the legal amendment, there is a need for a firm expression of the executive branch’s commitment to fulfilling this promise.” During his presidential campaign in January 2022, Yoon posted a one-line pledge on his Facebook stating “Abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.”

Accordingly, in October 2022, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced a plan to reorganize the Government Organization Act that includes abolishing MOGEF and transferring its main functions to the “Population, Family, and Gender Equality Headquarters” under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Additionally, lawmakers including Kwon Seong-dong of the People Power Party have submitted two bills to the National Assembly, led by the ruling party, proposing the abolition of MOGEF through amendments to the Government Organization Act.

However, since the majority Democratic Party opposes this, making the abolition of MOGEF practically impossible for now, the government is expected to operate under the acting vice minister system for the time being and aim to reorganize the parliamentary structure after the April general elections.

The government plans to maintain positions at a level necessary for organizational management, starting with personnel changes for the heads of divisions and bureaus responsible for MOGEF’s frontline duties, while promoting organizational restructuring. After the general election, the government intends to amend the Government Organization Act in the next National Assembly to abolish MOGEF and reassign its related functions to various ministries.

The official explained, “Since Vice Minister Shin Young-sook is an expert in organizational restructuring, she is expected to lead the preparatory work for the transfer of duties without any setbacks,” adding, “We are already considering appointing officials from other ministries to the division and bureau head lines as part of work exchanges to facilitate smooth organizational restructuring.”