Won Minkyoung: "Gender Equality Requires Awareness Improvement... Will Build Social Consensus"

Gender Equality and Family Ministry Holds First Anniversary Briefing on June 11

Public Discussion on Gender Conflict and Criminal Minors Since Inauguration

"Raising Public Awareness Beyond Laws and Systems Is Crucial"

"When I was a legal professional in the past, I was caught up in the idea of 'legal omnipotence.' I thought that problems would be solved if the Stalking Punishment Act were enacted or if the Act on the Punishment of Prostitution were revised. However, after witnessing cases where the law was not applied, I came to believe that raising public awareness is crucial... (omitted) Raising awareness of gender equality requires not only laws and systems but also efforts to improve and spread recognition. I will make more active efforts for this."

On the occasion of the first anniversary of the launch of the Lee Jaemyung administration, Minister of Gender Equality and Family Won Minkyoung repeatedly emphasized the importance of 'improving public awareness' and 'expanding consensus' during a press briefing held at the Seoul Government Complex on June 11, 2026. Many of the ministry's tasks require improvements to social structures and collaboration with other government agencies, making it difficult to show results in the short term. Minister Won believes that laws and systems alone cannot resolve all the ministry’s challenges at once. Instead of focusing solely on immediate outcomes, she said that in the second half of the year, she will continue to devote efforts to building social consensus through public discussion and deliberative processes.

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Since the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family was expanded and reorganized from the former Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to its current form on October 1, 2025, Minister Won, as the inaugural head, has brought major social issues—such as gender conflict and lowering the age of criminal minors—into public discourse. However, some have criticized that although public forums have been held multiple times, tangible results have not been presented. In response, Minister Won questioned, "Is there really a way to solve these problems in a short time?" She emphasized, "Through the recent public discussion on criminal minors, I have confirmed that the process of gathering diverse opinions and building social consensus is extremely important." She added, "I will continue to consider ways to seek solutions to major social issues through public discussion whenever they arise."

Recently, there has been criticism that the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has been passive in addressing serious crimes against women and stalking crimes. Regarding this, Minister Won said, "I am acutely aware of the seriousness of violent crimes such as dating violence, stalking crimes, and digital sex crimes," and continued, "In the second year of the administration, we will ensure that the ministry effectively fulfills its role as the control tower for gender-based violence." She announced plans to promptly work with relevant departments, including the Ministry of Justice and the National Police Agency, to develop measures to strengthen preemptive responses to stalkers and improve victim protection systems.

Minister Won recognizes that crimes targeting women are not unrelated to gender equality. On this day, she stated, "Gender-based violence occurs when society is not gender-equal," adding, "Over the past year, the Ministry has actively spoken out on its agenda and cooperation between government agencies has increased significantly compared to previous administrations." She clarified, "This does not mean that gender-based violence will immediately become 'zero,' but government ministries will announce specific action plans."

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Regarding the delay in submitting recommendations on the criteria for criminal minors, the minister explained, "Because there are so many agenda items, the report to the Cabinet meeting has been delayed by items being addressed first." Previously, the Social Dialogue Council on the age of criminal minors held its final plenary session on April 30 and resolved to maintain the current standard of '14 years of age.' Minister Won stated, "Even after this public discussion on criminal minors, I will continue to work on improving the system."

In her opening remarks on this day, Minister Won stated that in the second year of the administration, the ministry will focus on: expanding gender equality governance; providing legal support for responding to dating violence and distributing 'Red Flag' guidelines on high-risk signs of stalking and dating violence; advancing an AI-based system to preemptively block online sexual exploitation of children and adolescents; establishing a qualification and private registration system for childcare workers; identifying at-risk youth; and implementing an employment equality disclosure system in 2027.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.