"Finding Suitable Candidates Among Working Moms in Their 40s Is Not Easy"
President Yoon Suk-yeol is answering questions from the press at the 'Two-Year Public Report and Press Conference of the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration' held on the morning of the 9th at the briefing room of the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The Presidential Office has narrowed down the candidates for the newly established Chief Secretary for Low Birthrate to four and has begun the personnel screening process. Initially, the selection focused on 'working moms in their 40s,' but due to difficulties in finding a suitable candidate, the pool was expanded to include men in their 50s.
According to the Presidential Office on the 17th, to address South Korea's ultra-low birthrate phenomenon, the office originally planned to establish the Chief Secretary for Low Birthrate position by the end of last month and complete the appointment. However, the selection has been delayed until mid-month due to the inability to find a suitable candidate.
As the Presidential Office officially begins work on appointing the Chief Secretary for Low Birthrate, three secretariat offices are expected to be established under the Chief Secretary's office. The names of these subordinate secretariat offices have not yet been finalized.
First, since the top priority of the Chief Secretary's office is the establishment of the Low Birthrate Response Planning Department, a secretariat office responsible for the various tasks related to creating this department will be formed. President Yoon Seok-yeol announced the establishment of the Low Birthrate Response Planning Department, a ministry to address low birthrate and aging, at a press conference on the 9th of last month. Additionally, the Chief Secretary's office will be composed of secretariat offices for work-family balance and for improving the environment and culture related to low birthrate.
The delay in appointing the Chief Secretary for Low Birthrate is attributed to the fact that this is a newly created position under the Yoon administration and that the candidate must be someone capable of producing concrete results given the severity of South Korea's ultra-low birthrate issue. Previously, the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy handled related tasks, but due to organizational limitations, it was clear that achieving substantial results was difficult. Therefore, there is a consensus that finding the right candidate is a priority to overcome these challenges.
Earlier, President Yoon, when directing the establishment of the Chief Secretary's office to oversee low birthrate issues, mentioned his mother, Choi Seong-ja, a former professor at Ewha Womans University. President Yoon's mother raised her children but eventually had to stop working as a working mom due to childcare burdens, becoming a career-interrupted woman (Gyeongdan-nyeo). President Yoon personally explained this unfortunate case of his mother to his aides and urged them to "bring in someone who has personally experienced the difficulties of low birthrate." Accordingly, 'working moms in their 40s' were presented as the top priority condition for the appointment, but difficulties were encountered during the selection process.
A ruling party official said, "There seems to be a limit to the pool of high-ranking female talent in South Korea, which is causing continuous delays in related appointments," adding, "Although this position carries the burden of producing concrete results, the low birthrate issue is a challenge that is difficult to translate into immediate outcomes, so a person who can realistically face the current situation and actively propose solutions is needed." The official also suggested, "This is an opportunity to reassess and build the pool of high-ranking female officials."
A Presidential Office official explained the delay in appointing the Chief Secretary for Low Birthrate, saying, "We have prioritized working moms with multiple children in the candidate search, but realistically, it is not easy," and added, "Considering the crucial role of the newly established Chief Secretary for Low Birthrate, I understand that careful consideration is being given to ensure a prudent appointment."
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