Gender equality minister backs anti-discrimination law, diverse family recognition

Gender Equality and Family Minister Won Min-kyong speaks during a press conference at Government Complex Seoul, Thursday. Newsis

Korea’s gender equality minister has endorsed a comprehensive anti-discrimination law and pledged to reflect a broader range of family forms in government policy, while promising to take tougher action on crimes targeting women and present the government’s stance on juvenile offender reform by the end of this month.

Speaking at Thursday’s press conference marking the first anniversary of the Lee Jae Myung administration, Gender Equality and Family Minister Won Min-kyong said legislation against hate speech and discriminatory action would be a major step toward protecting vulnerable groups.

“Anti-discrimination legislation is highly significant, as it would provide effective remedies against unfair treatment of diverse families within our policy scope — including single-parent families and families with migrant backgrounds — and help protect their rights,” Won said. “I think the debate should be led by the National Assembly and the government ministries directly responsible for drafting the relevant laws. In that process, we can actively support those efforts.”

Won also signaled a clear intent to recognize more diverse family structures in policy, amid rising numbers of single-person households and nonmarital partnerships. Referring to the newly announced “healthy family basic plan,” she said the ministry is working to broaden the scope of family policy, and the recent court ruling recognizing “living communities similar to de facto marriages” would be taken into account in policymaking.

“We tried to incorporate the public’s changing perceptions and demands into the plan,” Won said. “We are also closely watching developments such as the recent court ruling on a same-sex couple’s union breaking down, and we believe that as we formulate policy, we should carefully take such judicial rulings into account.”

However, officials said that under the current Constitution and civil law framework, existing Supreme Court precedents mean same-sex marriage cannot be recognized without new legislation, and that broader social consensus would be needed before changing the legal status of such unions.

Asked about criticism that the ministry has been too passive on women’s safety issues, Won said tougher measures will be announced in the coming months.

“We are acutely aware of the seriousness of violent crimes such as dating violence, stalking and digital sex crimes, and are preparing, together with relevant ministries and agencies, to respond to these heinous offences more forcefully,” she said.

She added that the ministry is working with the Justice Ministry, the National Police Agency and other government agencies on establishing stronger “preemptive responses” to stalking offenders and on bolstering victim protection, with a new package of measures to be announced soon.

Won said the ministry also aims to strengthen its overarching response to digital sex crimes through the pan-government task force launched in April, which focuses on swiftly blocking illegal content, imposing tougher sanctions on distributors and tightening coordination with criminal investigations.

When asked about the progress of talks over lowering the age at which juveniles can be held criminally responsible, Won said the government would present its position and follow-up measures by the end of this month.

“Once the report to the Cabinet is completed, we will brief the press and the public on the government’s stance and the concrete institutional reform measures,” she said.