Time to reconsider government reorganization plan
The Yoon Suk-yeol administration announced a government reorganization plan on Thursday to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, elevate the status of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and create an agency for Korean nationals abroad.
The government and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) will present the plan to the National Assembly soon to get parliamentary approval next month. In addition, the administration will finalize another plan to set up a space and aeronautics agency and an immigration agency later this year.
However, the amendment to the Government Organization Act is likely to languish in the Assembly, as the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) together with feminist groups are strongly against the plan to scrap the gender equality ministry. The DPK finds it hard to narrow its differences over the issue with the government and the PPP, although it concurs on other reorganization plans.
There is no dispute over the need to set up an agency to support overseas Korean nationals who total 7.32 million. The agency will be established under the command of the foreign minister, according to the draft bill. The DPK is also in favor of the enhanced status of the veterans affairs ministry to better take care of patriots and veterans who fought for the independence and freedom of the country.
In this situation, the rival parties cannot form a bipartisanship over the government reorganization bill unless they reach a compromise over the planned disbandment of the gender ministry. The brewing discord over the matter is feared to escalate political confrontation between the ruling and opposition camps.
The DPK has bristled at the widening investigations into its Chairman Lee Jae-myung over corruption allegations as well as former President Moon Jae-in over reported mishandling of the killing of a fisheries official by the North Korean military in 2020 and other reported misdeeds. The party is opposing the abolishment of the gender ministry, arguing that the plan could deal a setback to gender equality. It is accusing the Yoon administration of currying favor with young male voters by scrapping the ministry.
Actually, Yoon benefited from his campaign promise to get rid of the ministry, appealing to male voters in their 20s and 30s who have felt discriminated against due to previous administrations' policy of promoting women's rights. Yoon and his party are giving the impression that they will continue to take advantage of the gender divide for political gains by keeping his promise.
Yet, the envisaged disbandment of the ministry could do more harm than good. Thus, the Yoon government and the PPP need to reconsider the plan which goes against the global trend of advocating women's empowerment. Yoon once said that the ministry has no reason to exist as it already completed its mission. But it is wrong for him to believe that.
The ministry still has many things to do to narrow gender inequality. For example, female workers still make an average 61.9 percent of what their male counterparts earn. Many women still fall victim to grave crimes including stalking murders, as seen in the recent case of a female subway worker who was killed by an ex-colleague in Sindang Station. Abolishing the ministry and transferring its tasks to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Employment and Labor will only end up perpetuating gender inequality. The plan also lacks national consensus, thereby deepening socioeconomic and political conflicts. Now is the time to rethink the ill-conceived plan.
The Yoon Suk-yeol administration announced a government reorganization plan on Thursday to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, elevate the status of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and create an agency for Korean nationals abroad.
The government and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) will present the plan to the National Assembly soon to get parliamentary approval next month. In addition, the administration will finalize another plan to set up a space and aeronautics agency and an immigration agency later this year.
However, the amendment to the Government Organization Act is likely to languish in the Assembly, as the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) together with feminist groups are strongly against the plan to scrap the gender equality ministry. The DPK finds it hard to narrow its differences over the issue with the government and the PPP, although it concurs on other reorganization plans.
There is no dispute over the need to set up an agency to support overseas Korean nationals who total 7.32 million. The agency will be established under the command of the foreign minister, according to the draft bill. The DPK is also in favor of the enhanced status of the veterans affairs ministry to better take care of patriots and veterans who fought for the independence and freedom of the country.
In this situation, the rival parties cannot form a bipartisanship over the government reorganization bill unless they reach a compromise over the planned disbandment of the gender ministry. The brewing discord over the matter is feared to escalate political confrontation between the ruling and opposition camps.
The DPK has bristled at the widening investigations into its Chairman Lee Jae-myung over corruption allegations as well as former President Moon Jae-in over reported mishandling of the killing of a fisheries official by the North Korean military in 2020 and other reported misdeeds. The party is opposing the abolishment of the gender ministry, arguing that the plan could deal a setback to gender equality. It is accusing the Yoon administration of currying favor with young male voters by scrapping the ministry.
Actually, Yoon benefited from his campaign promise to get rid of the ministry, appealing to male voters in their 20s and 30s who have felt discriminated against due to previous administrations' policy of promoting women's rights. Yoon and his party are giving the impression that they will continue to take advantage of the gender divide for political gains by keeping his promise.
Yet, the envisaged disbandment of the ministry could do more harm than good. Thus, the Yoon government and the PPP need to reconsider the plan which goes against the global trend of advocating women's empowerment. Yoon once said that the ministry has no reason to exist as it already completed its mission. But it is wrong for him to believe that.
The ministry still has many things to do to narrow gender inequality. For example, female workers still make an average 61.9 percent of what their male counterparts earn. Many women still fall victim to grave crimes including stalking murders, as seen in the recent case of a female subway worker who was killed by an ex-colleague in Sindang Station. Abolishing the ministry and transferring its tasks to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Employment and Labor will only end up perpetuating gender inequality. The plan also lacks national consensus, thereby deepening socioeconomic and political conflicts. Now is the time to rethink the ill-conceived plan.
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