20th National Assembly's 'International Covenant Review Subcommittee'... 21st National Assembly Not Even Formed
"National Assembly Doesn't Even Know the Review Process"... Opposition Lawmaker Requests Formation of Subcommittee in 22nd National Assembly
Recently, as the South Korean government received an evaluation on gender discrimination from the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) for the first time in six years, it has been understood that the National Assembly's Gender Equality and Family Committee did not hold separate discussions in preparation for the review.
According to a compilation of reports by Asia Economy on the 7th, although the 'International Covenant Review Subcommittee' was formed during the 20th National Assembly in 2016, no such subcommittee was formed in the 21st National Assembly. On May 14th, a review of the 9th National Report of the Republic of Korea was held at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women is an organization that oversees the smooth implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979. South Korea, as a party to the convention, undergoes a review every four years. Domestically, the obligation to monitor implementation is stipulated through the Framework Act on Gender Equality.
Looking at the transcript of the Gender Equality and Family Committee meeting on July 15, 2016, Nam In-soon, then chairperson of the committee and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "We have decided to form five subcommittees, including the International Covenant Review Subcommittee, to check the implementation of the National Action Plan established under the UN Security Council resolution on Women, Peace, and Security, and the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, as well as to review related policies."
The International Covenant Review Subcommittee formed at that time consisted of a total of eight members and held one meeting on February 13, 2018. This was to prepare for the 8th national report review held at the UN Headquarters on February 22 of the same year.
According to the subcommittee report posted on the Gender Equality and Family Committee website at that time, the subcommittee shared the significance of the convention, the contents of the review, and the implementation procedures during the meeting, and received reports on implementation achievements from relevant ministries including the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Ministry of Justice. Additionally, the subcommittee specified plans to be pursued after the review, instructing that "based on the final views presented by the committee, implementation plans and future directions should be drafted by the relevant ministries."
On the other hand, in the 21st National Assembly, no subcommittee was formed, and no separate meetings regarding the review were held by the National Assembly. Therefore, it is understood that there were no preparatory discussions or procedures at the National Assembly level for the review. Previously, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family also stirred controversy by sending the head of the Planning and Coordination Office, rather than the vice minister, to attend the review.
This can be interpreted as the National Assembly's indifference toward the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and women's policies. In the 21st National Assembly, meetings of the Gender Equality and Family Committee were frequently canceled due to partisan disputes over ministerial candidates and disruptions related to the World Jamboree. The Gender Equality and Family Committee's legislative subcommittee was held only once in eight months last January. It appears that the limitation of committee members serving concurrently on other standing committees also had an impact.
[Source: National Assembly, Handbook of the 20th National Assembly Second Half Women's and Family Committee]
Jeong Chun-sook, a former Democratic Party member who served as chairperson of the Gender Equality and Family Committee in the first half of the 21st National Assembly, told this publication in a phone interview, "The National Assembly did not even know about the review held in Switzerland this time," and added, "I insisted that it was necessary to attend the review, so I barely managed to participate." She continued, "The Gender Equality and Family Committee was not very active in the 21st National Assembly, and I do not know why the subcommittee was not formed separately. Since there is no obligation to form a subcommittee, it may not have been formed because no one specifically took charge or because it was not handled at the National Assembly level."
Kim Hye-jung, director of the Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center, said, "South Korea is a country that has acceded to CEDAW, and this convention holds the same status as domestic law," adding, "The legislative branch needs to monitor the government's implementation status, and a system should be established in the National Assembly to review legislative tasks and budget issues."
Kim Nam-hee, the elected member of the Democratic Party for Gwangmyeong, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the National Assembly. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
Voices calling for the formation of the International Covenant Review Subcommittee also emerged in the 22nd National Assembly. Kim Nam-hee, a member of the Gender Equality and Family Committee from the Democratic Party, emphasized at the first plenary meeting of the committee last month, "I would like to request the formation of a subcommittee to review the government's response and implementation status of international covenants and to examine related policies," adding, "It is necessary to review the government's inadequate response and replies to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in the 22nd Gender Equality and Family Committee."
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