‘Backlash in Gender Equality’ despite UN concerns… Ministry of Gender Equality and Family says it is recognized for being ahead.

The press release on this day stated that the officials “answered sincerely.” At the scene, concerns were raised about the regression of the gender equality system. Civic groups criticized the repetitive nature of the fundamental remarks. Legislation such as the Anti-Discrimination Act and non-consensual rape were pointed out. “The United Nations (UN) expressed concerns about the overall situation of gender discrimination in Korea, confirming its intention to push for legislation on anti-discrimination laws and retracting the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. However, the government stated a different position by receiving an evaluation that ‘the legal system related to abolishing gender discrimination is already ahead.'”
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, “On the 16th, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family issued a press release on the results of the 9th Korea Government’s hearing by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) held at the UN office in Geneva, Switzerland on the 14th, explaining that ‘the committee members highly evaluated the systematic and sincere responses to the questions after the deliberation.'”
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, “The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979, which Korea joined in 1984, obligates States Parties to submit national reports and undergo review procedures by the committee monitoring compliance.”
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, “However, it was noted that the atmosphere on-site was different from the government’s explanation. During the deliberation on this day, concerns were raised about the overall situation of women’s rights in Korea, such as the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the introduction of anti-discrimination laws, and non-consensual rape.”
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[Source of image=Yonhap News],
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, “The coalition of 12 women’s civic organizations who attended the event, including the Korean Women’s Associations United, Lawyers for a Democratic Society, Legislation Solidarity for Anti-Discrimination Laws, the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, and the Korean Women’s Hotline, stated in a commentary released the day before that ‘many CEDAW committee members expressed deep concerns about the serious regression of the gender equality policy system and the anti-feminist trends in Korean society by the current government.'”
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, “The committee members expressed concerns that if the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is abolished, there will be significant constraints on practical gender equality policy implementation and strengthening women’s rights, asking whether there is an intention to withdraw the plan to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. In response, the government explained, ‘The current Government Organization Act amendment has been submitted to the National Assembly, which contains the integration of the functions and duties related to gender equality of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family into the Ministry of Health and Welfare in a more efficient manner.'”
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, “On the contrary, the government emphasized the need for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to be reorganized and integrated into other ministries. The government stated, ‘Gender equality policies can be more effective when integrated organically with various social welfare policies, such as childbirth and childcare, health, income security, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, and that many OECD countries carry out gender equality policies by integrating them into welfare and employment ministries.”
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, “The committee questioned the lack of legislation on anti-discrimination laws. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recommended in 2007 that comprehensive anti-discrimination laws are needed in Korea. In response, the government said, ‘It will build social consensus through constructive discussions.’ Various questions were raised about guaranteeing the rights of sexual minorities, but the government reportedly reiterated the need for social consensus on the fundamental stance.”
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, “The committee also inquired about the existence of concrete legislative plans regarding ‘non-consensual rape,’ which revises Article 297 of the Criminal Code to be based on consent. In the Korean Criminal Code, only sexual intercourse by force or coercion is considered ‘rape,’ but there are suggestions that ‘the victim’s voluntary consent’ should be a constitutive element of rape. In response, the government stated, ‘The introduction of non-consensual rape laws would shift the burden of proof to the defendant and disrespect the will of women, requiring further in-depth discussion.'”
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[Source of image=Yonhap News],
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, “The committee inquired about the response to the compensation judgments against the Japanese Government, the enactment of legislation to prevent defamation and insults against victims of Japanese military ‘comfort women,’ and the support for victims. In response, the government stated, ‘We will respond in accordance with the spirit of the 2015 Japan-South Korea agreement.'”
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, “The committee also asked about the situation where domestic violence is not effectively punished. According to related statistics from the National Police Agency and others, the rate of actual prosecution in cases of reported domestic violence is less than 10%. In response, the government stated, ‘Under the current Domestic Violence Punishment Law, all cases are sent for prosecution, and temporary measures are taken to protect the victims,’ providing a theoretical answer.”
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, “Regarding the lack of specific systems for terminating pregnancies following the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the ‘abortion law’ in 2019, the government stated, ‘We have submitted amendments to the Criminal Code and the Mother and Child Health Law to enhance women’s self-determination in maintaining or terminating pregnancies, and we plan to supplement relevant regulations based on the amended laws.'”
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, “Women’s civic organizations criticized the hearing process on this day, stating that ‘The government only repeated its stance that the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family does not reduce gender equality functions’ and that ‘The Gender Equality Commission was held only twice in a written format in 2023 and, as of 2024, has not been held at all, indicating that the deliberation and coordination body for gender equality policy implementation is not functioning properly.’ They also pointed out that the government did not provide specific implementation plans despite repeating fundamental remarks about legislation on anti-discrimination laws, revision of the ‘comfort women’ victims support law, etc.”
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, “On this day, Acting Minister Shin Young-suk of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family did not attend the hearing. In past deliberations in 2007, 2011, and 2018, the minister attended as a representative. However, at this hearing, officials from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and others attended, led by Director Kim Ki-nam of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Planning Division.”
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