55 Female Lawmakers From Both Parties Gather: "Mandatory 30% Female Candidate Quota"

A Luncheon Gathering for Female Lawmakers at the National Assembly

Fifty-five female members of the National Assembly from both ruling and opposition parties gathered on September 1 at Sarangjae in the National Assembly Building, agreeing to cooperate across party lines to expand women’s participation in politics and to strengthen legislation for women’s safety.

Female lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties, Speaker of the National Assembly Jo Jeong-sik, and Deputy Speakers Park Deok-heum and Nam In-soon are taking a commemorative photo at the '22nd Women Lawmakers Fellowship Luncheon' held on the 1st at Sarangjae in the National Assembly building, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Office of the Speaker of the National Assembly

This event, held to coincide with the opening of the latter half of the 22nd National Assembly, saw the attendance of 55 out of 63 female lawmakers. In their joint declaration, the female legislators stated, “We have a responsibility to expand women’s political participation and to build a society where the safety and dignity of all citizens are guaranteed.”

The lawmakers first pledged to push for an amendment to the Public Official Election Act that would require political parties to nominate at least 30% female candidates in all elections, including those for the National Assembly and local councils, in order to advance toward a gender-equal society. Their aim is to go beyond party and political positions to improve related systems through cooperation.

Responding to violence that threatens women’s daily lives was also presented as a shared priority. They agreed to actively address so-called “relationship crimes” such as stalking, dating violence, and domestic violence, as well as digital sex crimes, while strengthening the protection and support for victims.

Speaker of the National Assembly Jeong-sik Cho pointed out in his congratulatory speech that the political participation rate of women in Korea remains low compared to international standards.

Speaker Cho said, “Today’s event is an opportunity for female lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties to communicate and network, as well as a meaningful moment to foster a gender-equal political culture within the National Assembly and to strengthen women’s political leadership.”

He added, “There are currently 64 female lawmakers, including Deputy Speaker Insun Nam, accounting for 21.4% of all members in the 22nd National Assembly. Though women’s political participation has increased slightly, Korea ranks only 122nd among 183 countries according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), which is still far behind the global trend.”

Speaker Cho emphasized the need to discuss solutions to mid- and long-term issues such as women’s rights, family, care work, low birth rates, and human rights, and urged the female lawmakers to play a central role in the 22nd National Assembly and help pave a broader path for future women politicians.

Deputy Speaker Insun Nam noted, “Although we may differ in party affiliation and political views, our responsibility to look after the lives of the people and to shape a better future for South Korea is shared.” She stressed the need to expand female representation and to move toward a society in which women and men participate and decide together. Deputy Speaker Duckhum Park added, “It is most important that the ruling and opposition parties join hands and cooperate.”

At the event, following the reading of the joint declaration, the female lawmakers took part in a placard performance, chanting the slogan “Let’s achieve a gender-equal society.”

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