[Gender Equality Legislation in Crisis] ② 15 Key Tasks... Only One Bill Clears the National Assembly

Legal hurdles stall institutional change
Key legislative tasks for Lee administration's gender equality policies
Include stronger powers for the Gender Equality Committee
Related bills introduced, but pending in standing committees
Information

Among the 15 key legislative tasks intended to support the Lee Jae-myung government's gender equality policies, only one has resulted in a related bill passing the 22nd National Assembly. Although bills have been introduced for many of the tasks, most remain pending in standing committees and have yet to lead to actual institutional changes.

On Oct. 22, The Asia Business Daily cross-analyzed the Lee Jae-myung government's "Five-Year Plan for State Affairs (Draft)" and the Korea Women's Development Institute's "Measures to Support the New Government's Gender Equality and Family Policies." It identified 15 key gender equality tasks requiring the enactment or revision of laws and reviewed their legislative status. Related bills were identified for 12 tasks (80.0%), but legislation related to only one task (6.7%) had passed a plenary session.

The government has set out goals including "a gender-equal society where opportunities and rights are guaranteed" and "guaranteeing women's safety and right to health." The 15 tasks include strengthening the authority of the Gender Equality Committee and establishing a secretariat; reforming gender impact assessments; strengthening the obligation to produce gender statistics; introducing a pay transparency system for employment equality; legislating against dating and intimate partner violence; strengthening platform accountability for digital sex crimes; guaranteeing sexual and reproductive health and rights and enacting alternative legislation on abortion; and legally recognizing diverse family relationships.

Related bills have been introduced mainly in the areas of employment equality, gender-based violence and family policy. Bills on a pay transparency system for employment equality and stronger affirmative measures to improve employment equality, legislation to protect victims of dating violence, amendments to the Mother and Child Health Act concerning abortion, and the Life Partner Relationship Act and an anti-discrimination act have been submitted to the National Assembly. On Oct. 14, Assemblywoman Lee Su-jin of the Democratic Party of Korea introduced three additional bills related to gender equality governance, including amendments to the Framework Act on Gender Equality to strengthen the Gender Equality Committee's advisory powers and amendments to the Gender Impact Assessment Act.

Even for tasks with bills introduced, progress has been slow. Some bills related to the pay transparency system for employment equality have been referred to subcommittees or are under review, while multiple bills concerning dating violence remain pending. A subcommittee is reviewing the proposed amendment to the Mother and Child Health Act concerning abortion, and the Life Partner Relationship Act and anti-discrimination act are also pending before the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

The only related legislation to pass the National Assembly was an amendment to the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, which addresses responses to digital sex crimes. It includes provisions to assess the damage caused by synthetic videos such as deepfakes, develop technology to prevent their distribution, and provide a legal basis for investigative agencies to request the removal of illegal videos. The amendment passed a plenary session in November 2024 and was promulgated in December of the same year. However, given that the Lee Jae-myung government took office in June 2025, no related legislation has passed the National Assembly since the current government took office.

By contrast, no related legislation could be identified for three tasks: establishing a secretariat for the Gender Equality Committee; strengthening, under the Framework Act on Gender Equality, the obligation to produce gender statistics; and enacting a framework act guaranteeing sexual and reproductive health and rights. In particular, the goal for gender statistics is not simply to expand the amount of data, but to enshrine in law measures such as expanding the entities required to produce statistics and strengthening the government's coordinating authority. The Framework Act on the Guarantee of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights was introduced in the 21st National Assembly but lapsed when its term ended, and no reintroduction has been identified in the 22nd Assembly.

With the 22nd National Assembly past the midpoint of its term, calls are growing for legislation supporting gender equality policies to move from introduction to passage. Although bills have been introduced for 80% of the tasks, only 6.7% have resulted in legislation passing the National Assembly. As a result, the fate of major bills, including those on the pay transparency system for employment equality and reforming gender equality governance, is expected to determine the record of gender equality legislation in the Assembly's second half. In particular, whether bills tied to government policies, such as the pay transparency system for employment equality and reforms to gender equality governance, can clear the National Assembly is seen as a key question.

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