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Gender equality ministry faces uncertainties following withdrawal of minister nominee
Kim Haeng, who was nominated for minister of gender equality and family, speaks during her National Assembly confirmation hearing on Oct. 5. She withdrew herself from consideration on Thursday amid mounting criticism from opposition parties. Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family faces growing uncertainties caused by a leadership vacuum, after Kim Haeng, who was nominated for the position of minister, withdrew her name from consideration.
Kim decided to resign Thursday amid a slew of controversies over various allegations, including one related to her stock ownership in Wikitree, an interactive online news provider co-founded by her.
Her resignation adds to concerns that ministry officials could be demoralized further, as they have already been in limbo since President Yoon Suk Yeol called the ministry’s role into question and pledged to abolish it during his presidential campaign.
“I am a member of the People Power Party (PPP) before becoming a minister nominee,” Kim said in a message sent to reporters. “I decided to quit, as I put more importance on the party as its member.”
Kim’s resignation came amid opposition parties’ criticisms that she is unfit for the job, in addition to some PPP members’ suggestions that she should not take the job. The suggestions from the ruling party came amid apparent concerns that she could become a burden to the party ahead of general elections slated for next April, after the party suffered a crushing defeat in Wednesday’s by-election for the office of Seoul’s Gangseo District.
Since Kim was nominated for the minister position on Sept. 13, the ministry dispatched some 10 officials, including grade 1 and 2 civil servants, to prepare for her parliamentary confirmation hearings. But the preparations came to naught in light of her resignation.
Following her resignation, incumbent Minister Kim Hyun-sook is expected to maintain the position for the time being.
Gender Equality and Family Minister Kim Hyun-sook looks around a welfare facility for single-parent families in Seoul, Oct. 6. Yonhap
Kim Hyun-sook had expressed her intention to resign to Yoon ― a day before he nominated Kim Haeng for the position ― amid the high-profile controversy over mismanagement of the 25th World Scout Jamboree.
The quadrennial event kicked off for a 12-day run on Aug. 1 in Saemangeum, a reclaimed tidal flat in North Jeolla Province, bringing together around 40,000 young Scouts as well as adult volunteers from more than 150 countries. But it faced severe criticism internationally for a lack of preparations and sanitary issues amid the scorching heat wave gripping the country.
The family minister co-chaired the organizing committee.
As Yoon has yet to accept Kim Hyun-sook’s resignation, she continues to serve as the minister.
Political watchers say, however, that it would be difficult for Yoon to have the incumbent minister remain in office, as his plan to replace her was based on the de facto censure to hold her responsible for the Jamboree fiasco.
The watchers say the incumbent minister could become a burden for the Yoon government and the ruling party, if she appears before the National Assembly’s audit of the ministry scheduled for Nov. 2.
This raises the likelihood that Vice Minister Lee Ki-soon could serve as acting minister, until a suitable figure is nominated for the position.
Regarding the fate of the ministry, a ministry official said, “Nobody knows what will happen next.”