Seoul marks 1898 women's rights declaration with awards lauding workplace equity
Summary
Seoul marked the 1898 Yeogwontongmun declaration at a women’s convention at City Hall Tuesday, where Mayor Oh Se-hoon and 55 women’s organizations gathered for Gender Equality Week. The event centered on the 23rd Seoul Gender Equality Awards, with KBS’s Low Birthrate Crisis Response Broadcasting Unit’s digital content team taking the top honor. Oh said gender equality strengthens regional economic competitiveness and pledged continued support for career continuity and family-support programs.
Key Facts
- The Yeogwontongmun was released in 1898 by a coalition of Korean women demanding equal access to education, employment and public life.
- The 2026 Seoul Women’s Convention was held at City Hall Tuesday with Mayor Oh Se-hoon and representatives from 55 women’s organizations.
- The Seoul Gender Equality Awards have recognized contributions to workplace equity, work-life balance and demographic resilience since 2004.
- This year’s top honor went to KBS’s Low Birthrate Crisis Response Broadcasting Unit digital content team for a web series about economic pressures on young adults, caregiving fathers and changing family structures.
- Runner-up honors went to the Seoul International Women’s Film Festival and Kyunghyang Daily’s women’s narrative archive project.
A prmotional poster for this year's winners of the Seoul Gender Equality Awards / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
In 1898, a coalition of Korean women released the Yeogwontongmun, an early public appeal demanding equal access to education, employment and public life.
That historic milestone provided the backdrop for the 2026 Seoul Women’s Convention at City Hall Tuesday, where Mayor Oh Se-hoon and representatives from 55 women’s organizations gathered to mark Gender Equality Week and examine municipal social policy.
The annual convention featured the 23rd Seoul Gender Equality Awards, which have recognized contributions to workplace equity, work-life balance and demographic resilience since 2004.
This year's top honor went to the digital content team of KBS’s Low Birthrate Crisis Response Broadcasting Unit for a web series exploring the economic pressures on young adults, active caregiving fathers and evolving family structures.
Runner-up honors were shared by the Seoul International Women’s Film Festival for expanding career opportunities for female filmmakers and Kyunghyang Daily’s women's narrative archive project for documenting female social histories. Additional awards recognized a technology company executive assisting women reentering the workforce, a married couple promoting shared domestic duties through broadcast media and the Korea Institute of Women Architects for addressing professional barriers in design and construction.
The convention also highlighted community-level initiatives, bringing together families from city parenting outreach programs alongside members of Seoul’s "200 Fathers" club, a peer network where men exchange practical child-rearing advice.
Addressing the convention, the mayor framed gender equality as a factor in regional economic performance rather than a standalone social target. Noting that a city capable of fully utilizing female talent remains far more competitive, he pledged continued municipal funding for career continuity programs and expanded family-support infrastructure across the capital.
"A city where women can fully realize their potential is a genuinely competitive city," Oh said. "Through the 'Seoul Career-Up Project' and the 'Seoul Child Companion-Up Project,' we will continue to provide targeted, comprehensive support so women can sustain their careers and growth while balancing work and family."
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
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