Despite rising concerns over sexual harassment among ranking officials, only two of 299 lawmakers participated in the annual mandatory sex crime-prevention education session held last week at the National Assembly, a government source told The Korea Times, Thursday.
The two participants were Reps. Lee Ah-joo and Yoon Seok-yong of the governing Grand National Party (GNP), according to Cho Yoon-ye of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF).
Of 2,093 lawmaker’s assistants, who are also public servants, only 23, or less than 1 percent, attended the lecture, which was held twice that week in an effort to boost participation.
The turnout rate of the other 1,205 civil servants working at the Assembly was slightly above 73 percent.
Legislators have shunned the compulsory session, claiming that each of them should be regarded as a constitutional body to ensure their role of checks and balances to the government, instead of a parliamentary employee.
The MOGEF refutes this, saying that is an insufficient excuse to disregard the law. The Framework Act on Women’s Development mandates sex crime prevention training among public servants.
Cho, a senior official at the ministry, claims that lawmakers, though elected, are also public servants and subject to the compulsory lecture.
“Any public servant, including the head of the Constitutional Court, is subject to the law,” he said.
On Thursday, the GNP expelled Rep. Kang Yong-seok from the conservative party for sexual remarks that he made to college students at a dinner gathering.
The parliamentary ethics committee is reviewing whether to strip the lawmaker of his seat over his misconduct.
In 2006, GNP legislator Choi Yeon-hee lost his seat for sexually harassing a female journalist.
The participation rate at the “mandatory” lecture among the heads of state-run bodies was 87.2 percent last year, while that of senior police officers was 68 percent, according to the MOGEF.
The ministry is considering summoning the person in charge of running the education program at the Assembly over the disappointing turnout rate of lawmakers.
국회의원 성교육 출석률은 1%
위 공직자들의 성희롱 사건들이 대두되고 있음에도 불구하고 국회의원 299명 중 단 2명 만이 지난주 국회에서 주관한 성희롱 예방교육에 참석했다고 정부 관계자가 2일 코리아타임스에 밝혔다.
그 두 명의 주인공은 한나라당의 이애주, 윤석용의원이다.
출석률을 높이기 위해 교육을 두 번이나 실시했음에도 불구하고 2,093명의 보좌관 중에는 23명 만이 참석했다.
국회의원들은 개개인이 헌법기관이며 정부를 견제하는 역할을 해야 하므로 본인들을 국회직원으로 간주, 교육에 의무적으로 참석하게 하는 것은 부당한 처사라고 주장하며 그 동안 교육을 회피해 왔다.
하지만 여성가족부 조윤예 담당관은 비록 국회의원이 선출직 이지만 여성발전기본법에 의거 성희롱 예방교육을 받는 게 원칙이라고 말했다.
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