[Gender Equality Legislation in Crisis] ① Two of Every Three Gender Equality Bills Focus on 'Violence and Victim Protection'... Legislation Also Skewed Toward These Issues

82 Bills on Gender-Based Violence, Sexual Exploitation and Victim Protection... More Than Double Those on Gender Equality and Women's Policies
77% of Key Bills Still Pending or Under Review... Only 9 Promulgated

Editor's NoteLegislation on gender equality must keep pace with the times to expand women's political, economic and social leadership. Ahead of the 2026 Women's Leaders Forum, The Asia Business Daily interviewed prominent women politicians to examine legislative priorities for the second half of the National Assembly's term and directions for institutional reform. It also analyzed progress on legislation for the government's key gender equality initiatives and the structure of women's and gender equality bills in the 22nd National Assembly, and examined over three installments why long-awaited legislative tasks remain unfinished.

Two out of every three key bills introduced by lawmakers on women and gender equality and submitted to the Gender Equality and Family Committee of the 22nd National Assembly focused on responding to gender-based violence and sexual exploitation and protecting victims. Legislative efforts were weighted toward crime response and victim protection, rather than other areas such as gender equality systems and women's policies.

On Oct. 21, The Asia Business Daily reviewed all 251 bills submitted to the Gender Equality and Family Committee and identified key bills introduced by lawmakers on women and gender equality, excluding general bills on families, caregiving and youth. As of Oct. 20, the total stood at 122. Of these, 82 (67.2%) concerned gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and victim protection, accounting for more than two-thirds of the total. The remaining 40 (32.8%) concerned gender equality systems and women's policies.

The bills were also concentrated in a small number of laws. Amendments to the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sex Offenses were the most common, with 43 bills (35.2%). They were followed by 23 bills (18.9%) to amend the Framework Act on Gender Equality, 14 (11.5%) to amend the Act on the Prevention of Sexual Violence and Protection of Victims, and 12 (9.8%) concerning laws on the protection and support of victims of the Japanese military's wartime sexual slavery. The bills related to these four laws alone totaled 92, or 75.4% of all bills.

More specifically, bills were concentrated in laws addressing violence and protecting victims, including those concerning sex crimes against children and youth, sexual violence, domestic violence, stalking and human trafficking. There were nine bills to amend the Domestic Violence Prevention Act, and five each to amend the Act on the Prevention of Stalking and Protection of Victims and the Act on the Prevention of Human Trafficking and Protection of Victims. By contrast, there were four bills to amend the Act on the Promotion of Women's Economic Activities and the Prevention of Career Disruption, and three to amend the Framework Act on the Prevention of Violence Against Women. Looking only at key bills introduced by lawmakers under the committee's jurisdiction, the number of bills on violence and victim protection was more than double that of bills on gender equality systems and women's policies.

By party, the Democratic Party of Korea introduced the most bills, with 80. The People Power Party introduced 30, the Rebuilding Korea Party 10, and the Progressive Party and the New Reform Party one each. Of the Democratic Party's bills, 50 (62.5%) concerned gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and victim protection, while 30 (37.5%) concerned gender equality and women's policies. For the People Power Party, 26 bills (86.7%) concerned gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and victim protection. In particular, 19 bills to amend the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sex Offenses accounted for 63.3% of the bills introduced by People Power Party lawmakers. The Rebuilding Korea Party introduced five bills in each of the two areas, out of 10 in total. Party figures are based on the lawmakers who sponsored the bills.

Actual legislative progress has been slow compared with the number of bills introduced. With the 22nd National Assembly now past the halfway point of its term, only nine of the 122 bills have been promulgated. Nineteen bills were incorporated into committee substitute bills and then discarded, while the remaining 94 (77.0%) are still pending or under review. Of the 43 bills to amend the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sex Offenses, the law with the most bills, 38 remain pending. Likewise, 22 of the 23 bills to amend the Framework Act on Gender Equality have yet to receive final action. Eight of the 14 bills to amend the Act on the Prevention of Sexual Violence remain pending or under review.

However, this analysis covered only bills under the jurisdiction of the Gender Equality and Family Committee. Legislation related to women and gender equality is also considered by other standing committees. Bills concerning the gender pay gap and sex discrimination in employment fall under the Environment and Labor Committee; bills concerning penalties for sexual violence and stalking, as well as some forms of dating violence, fall under the Legislation and Judiciary Committee; and bills concerning abortion and sexual and reproductive health fall under the Health and Welfare Committee.

As the National Assembly enters the second half of its term, observers say it must broaden the scope of gender equality legislation, which has been concentrated in certain areas, while turning bills already introduced into actual institutional change. There are also concerns that legislative results are lagging behind the number of bills introduced, with nearly eight out of every 10 key bills still pending or under review.

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