Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
Controversy grows over scandal-plagued gender equality minister nominee
Kang Sun-woo, the nominee for minister of gender equality and family, is questioned during her confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly in Seoul, July 14. Yonhap
By Anna J. Park
Voices of opposition to Kang's nomination overflow
As President Lee Jae Myung proceeds with the controversial appointment of Kang Sun-woo as minister of gender equality and family despite abuse of power allegations, the controversy over the embattled nominee shows no sign of abating and instead appears to be intensifying.
Criticism continues to emerge not only from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), but also from pro-government civic groups, former ministers, parliamentary aides and even supporters of the president himself.
On Monday, the PPP sharply criticized the president's apparent plan to withdraw the nomination of Lee Jin-sook for another ministerial post while still moving forward with Kang’s appointment. The conservative party called the move “an expression of arrogance and dogmatism” by the Lee administration and “a direct affront to public expectations.”
“Pushing ahead with the appointment of Kang Sun-woo — dubbed the ‘Gapjil Queen’ — amounts to a declaration of moral bankruptcy by the Lee administration. Appointing someone with such allegations to a ministry tasked with protecting the vulnerable is completely out of step with the public’s standards,” said Park Sung-hoon, the party’s senior spokesperson.
He added that the decision ignores widespread opposition. “Women’s rights groups, civic organizations and even members of the pro-Lee faction within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) have called for her withdrawal, but President Lee has chosen to turn a blind eye in a blatant act of cronyism.”
The PPP vowed not to recognize Kang as minister even if the appointment proceeds.
Former Gender Equality and Family Minister Chung Young-ai / Korea Times file
Former Minister of Gender Equality and Family Chung Young-ai, who served under the Moon Jae-in administration, also argued that Kang is unfit for the role.
In a written statement released Monday, Chung recounted a personal experience in which she was subjected to what is commonly referred to in Korean as “gapjil” — the abuse of power by someone in a higher position through unreasonable or coercive behavior.
At the time, Kang, then a lawmaker, had asked Chung to establish a support center for sexual violence survivors in her constituency. However, due to difficulties in securing an obstetrician-gynecologist, Chung was unable to resolve the issue promptly. When she relayed this to Kang, the lawmaker lashed out, saying, “When I tell you to do something, just do it. Why are you making excuses?”
Kang then allegedly retaliated by cutting a portion of the Gender Ministry’s planning and coordination budget, even though it had no connection to the request in question. At the time, Kang was a member of the National Assembly’s Gender Equality and Family Committee, Health and Welfare Committee and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts.
“I remember having to go to Kang’s office to apologize, take the scolding and restore the budget,” Chung recalled.
Referring to this incident, Chung expressed disbelief at Kang’s nomination.
“It’s outrageous that someone who wielded unrelated budget cuts as a form of ‘gapjil’ against a minister simply for not solving a local issue is now being sent back to lead the very same ministry,” Chung noted, arguing that Kang is fundamentally unqualified to serve as the minister’s role.
Parliamentary aides stage a protest in front of the room where the confirmation hearing of Kang Sun-woo, the nominee for minister of gender equality and family, is underway at the National Assembly in Seoul, July 14. Yonhap
Former presidents of the DPK’s parliamentary aides association also called for Kang to voluntarily withdraw her nomination during the past week. Some current aides shared similar sentiments, expressing doubts about her qualifications through statements and media interviews, urging her to step down.
Civic watchdog group People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy also criticized Lee’s decision to appoint Kang in a statement released Monday, describing it as “difficult to understand and inappropriate,” and urging the nomination to be withdrawn.
“During the confirmation hearing, Kang’s false explanations regarding her abusive behavior toward aides only deepened public distrust in public officials and the government,” the statement reads, saying that pushing ahead with her appointment would damage the public’s trust in the new administration.
They emphasized that Kang “failed to clearly state her policy positions on various gender-related issues such as non-consensual rape laws and anti-discrimination legislation,” concluding that “it is hard to find any reason why Kang should be appointed as minister of gender equality and family.”
People Power Party Rep. Lee Dal-hee, center, questions Kang Sun-woo, nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, about allegations of abuse of power by holding up food waste during a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul, July 14. Yonhap
After Kang was appointed to the minister position, multiple allegations surfaced.
Since being elected as a lawmaker in 2020, Kang has replaced 28 aides over five years. Specific testimonies have emerged accusing Kang of sustained and repeated workplace harassment against her staff. A former aide claimed that Kang excluded staff members from group chats and obstructed their reemployment, in addition to allegations of unpaid wages. Other accusations include forcing aides to dispose of food waste and requesting them to handle toilet repairs.
Reactions among supporters of President Lee have also been unfavorable.
An online comment read: “I’m a staunch supporter of President Lee Jae Myung, but Kang Sun-woo doesn’t seem right. On top of abuse of power, there are even claims of unpaid wages. This kind of character is just shameful.”
However, the ruling DPK stated that since Lee made the final decision after directly considering the issue, the appointing authority’s rights must be respected.
“There were various allegations such as asset concealment and false residence registration, most of which have been clarified. Now the issue left is the abuse of power. Abuse of power is somewhat relative and has subjective aspects,” party spokesperson Rep. Kim Hyun-jung said.