Delayed Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Reform: Now Time to Prove Its 'Reason for Existence' [Inside Chodong]

Former President Kim Dae-jung established the Ministry of Gender Equality, the predecessor of today's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, in January 2001, stating that "the conditions have been created for men and women to work as equals." While the official reason was the need to integrate and manage policies related to women's rights and development, Kim hoped that the ministry would lay the foundation for a society based on gender equality.

Although it began as an extremely small ministry with only about 100 employees, even this was an achievement that took 14 years to realize. The Office of the Minister without Portfolio in 1988 was the first government body to use the official title "women's policy," drafting related legislation and initiating policy development. It was only a decade later that Kim Dae-jung made the establishment of the ministry a presidential campaign pledge, and in his fourth year in office, he created the ministry and appointed a woman as its first minister.

Women entrepreneurs, who had often worked in harsh conditions without even an umbrella, enthusiastically welcomed the move. The "venture boom" at the time further contributed to women becoming new economic agents in South Korea, with the ministry serving as a key pillar in this process. Although progress is still insufficient, the current expansion of maternity leave and the establishment of basic awareness regarding the prohibition of gender discrimination in employment and promotion in the workplace are all the results of the first steps taken by the ministry back then.

This is why it is even more regrettable to see the current Ministry of Gender Equality and Family at the center of a ministry "tragedy." The ministerial post has been vacant for 17 months, and throughout the previous administration, the ministry faced the threat of abolition. Although the administration has changed, it has been ten days since the first nominee withdrew after allegations of abuse of power and false explanations. The presidential office's message that "a nominee for minister who meets public expectations will be found as soon as possible" was also last heard on this day.

The ministry claims that there is no operational vacuum, as it is being run by vice ministers and department heads with expanded authority. However, this "maintenance" is not the mission that the public expects from the ministry. The longer the ministerial vacancy continues, the more policy implementation will be disrupted, and any changes?whether abolition or reorganization?will inevitably be delayed.

During his candidacy, President Lee Jaemyung acknowledged the structural gender discrimination faced by women, but also stated that "policies should not be made only for women but should pursue gender equality," mentioning the "partial reverse discrimination" experienced by men. This suggests that the ministry is likely to be reorganized at a level comparable to a new ministry. Therefore, the current situation is closer to a crisis than a "successful defense." The president's pledge to expand and reorganize the ministry into the "Ministry of Gender Equality and Family" will lose momentum the longer the vacancy continues, and the ministry will once again face questions about its very existence.

There are concerns that, in the wake of the Kang Sunwoo incident, the government may focus solely on morality in selecting a successor. With criticism mounting that the prolonged vacancy has caused the ministry to lose both momentum and direction in its core tasks?such as gender equality policies and responses to sexual crimes?the new minister must be capable of resolving this situation. When the public lost trust in Lee Jinsook, the nominee for Minister of Education who also withdrew around the same time, it was not so much because of allegations of plagiarism or misappropriation, but rather because of her lack of expertise and inability to address current issues in the education sector, such as measures to reduce private education expenses.

The new ministry must not be reduced to a tool for targeting the votes of men in their 20s and 30s during the reorganization process. We have seen numerous cases where political leaders have distorted or misunderstood gender equality, using generational gender conflict among the youth for political gain.

I do not agree with the previous administration's direction of abolishing the ministry. However, even President Kim Dae-jung, who created the ministry, likely did not intend for it to exist forever. This is why it is important to quickly find a successor for the ministerial post so that the direction of reorganization does not lose its meaning. The ministry must also accept the changes of the times. Even if it is not time for an exit, now is the moment for a dramatic change.