Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
After year in limbo, gender ministry gets reboot
Gender Equality and Family Minister Won Min-kyong, answers questions during a press briefing at a building in Jongno District, Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Ministry of Gender Equality and Family
By Jung Da-hyun
Plan to shift women’s job policy oversight, add department for men's issues draws fire
After more than a year without a minister, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is returning to the spotlight with a broader mandate and a new leader.
However, controversy persists over the creation of a department focused on discrimination against men and the transfer of women’s employment policies from the labor ministry, a move critics say could undermine efforts to promote women’s employment.
The ministry faced a sustained existential threat under previous President Yoon Suk Yeol, who fulfilled his pledge to leave the top position vacant for an extended period in an effort to push for the ministry's eventual abolition.
Newly appointed Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong pledged to rebuild public trust and renew the ministry’s mission during a press briefing Thursday, acknowledging deepening divides over gender and generation in Korean society.
“Our ministry must now move beyond a period of vacancy toward a period of restoration,” Won said. “Restoration doesn’t just mean normalizing the organization — it means rebuilding trust in gender equality policies and transforming the ministry into one that truly meets the public’s expectations.”
The ministry officially relaunched this month with an expanded mandate, marking a major shift in the government’s gender policy structure.
Won emphasized her commitment to building a more inclusive society, saying gender equality policies should serve as solutions, not sources of conflict.
“The ministry will work to achieve gender equality in the workplace and expand support for women’s economic participation,” she said.
Under the reorganization, the Equal Employment Bureau, previously overseen by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, has been transferred to the gender ministry — a move positioning it as the central control tower for the nation’s gender equality policies.
Addressing concerns that transferring women’s employment policies to the gender ministry — which operates with a much smaller budget than the labor ministry — could weaken such initiatives, Won said the two ministries will work closely together to strengthen employment equality and support for women in the workforce.
Gender Equality and Family Minister Won Min-kyong, second from right, unveils a plaque with Vice Minister Jung Goo-chang and other officials during the inauguration ceremony of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family at Government Complex Seoul, Oct. 1. Yonhap
In addition, in line with President Lee Jae Myung’s directive to examine and address issues of discrimination against men, the ministry also established a Gender Equity Policy Division, tasked with studying the issue and developing corresponding measures.
While the division is intended to bridge gender perception gaps in society, its creation has sparked backlash, with critics warning that it could shift the focus away from tackling structural gender inequality and instead emphasize so-called “reverse discrimination” against men.
Lee had earlier instructed the ministry to review measures to identify and address areas where men may experience discrimination and to propose concrete ways to resolve such cases.
Won acknowledged the concerns, describing the matter as a complex and sensitive challenge that requires input from experts and stakeholders across society. She made it clear that the division’s work will not be limited to discrimination toward men alone.
“It is crucial to understand these issues as differences in perception, not as gender conflicts,” she said, adding that framing them as conflicts only reinforces division and hostility.
Regarding one of the ministry’s core responsibilities — policies related to victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery — Won said she aims to raise greater international awareness of the issue.
“The ministry has carried out various efforts to restore the dignity and honor of the victims, but I admit that they have not been sufficient,” she said. “The comfort women issue is not only a matter for our society, but a universal issue of human rights and peace that must be shared with the international community.”