[Interview] Kim Jeongjae: "I Won't Let a Dating Violence Victim's Call for Help Go Unanswered"

Emphasizes improvements for single-parent families, young people, and childcare
Vows to improve Sunflower Centers during the regular session
"Gender Equality and Family Act and Mifegyne introduction require deliberation"

A woman was recently killed with a weapon by her former partner in the heart of downtown Jeju. Before the attack, she had reported him to police four times for stalking, threats to distribute videos, and dating violence. It was later revealed that the perpetrator had prepared for the crime in advance, including by purchasing a weapon a month earlier. Kim Jeongjae, chair of the National Assembly's Gender Equality and Family Committee, said she is determined to take the lead in addressing dating violence during the 22nd National Assembly.

Kim Jeongjae, chair of the National Assembly Gender Equality and Family Committee, is being interviewed by The Asia Business Daily. Photo by Yoon Dongju

Meeting with The Asia Business Daily at the National Assembly on October 23, Kim said, "Dating violence threatens not only the people directly involved but also the lives of their families and those around them. Yet the current legal system does not adequately reflect the unique nature of dating violence." She added, "Legislation to protect victims is urgently needed," and stressed that "we must clearly define dating violence in law and strengthen protective measures, including excluding such cases from the rule requiring victims' consent to prosecution and imposing restraining orders."

Kim also plans to work on resolving legislative issues that, given the committee's remit, can easily become politicized. She said the ruling party's push for the Gender Equality and Family Act and the introduction of Mifegyne, a medication used to terminate pregnancies, require in-depth discussion both inside and outside the National Assembly. "If the ruling party forces these measures through with its majority, it could only deepen social divisions," Kim said. "We will move quickly on bills concerning people's livelihoods and give contentious bills sufficient deliberation."

Below is a Q&A with Kim.

-You have taken over as chair of the Gender Equality and Family Committee for the second half of the 22nd National Assembly. What are your priorities, and what legislation do you plan to pursue?

▲The Gender Equality and Family Committee addresses the lives of people who most urgently need the state's protection, including women, families, children, and adolescents. I feel a profound sense of responsibility. I believe it is urgent to improve laws and systems to protect victims of dating violence. I will establish a legal protection framework that ensures the state does not ignore the first call for help from a victim of dating violence and that can protect those around them as well. Children in single-parent families and those growing up in difficult circumstances also need support. We will work to ensure that society pays attention and the state provides institutional support so that no young person has to give up on their dreams or go down the wrong path because of their family circumstances.

-What are your goals for this year's regular session of the National Assembly?

▲I will address the need for budget support to ensure the stable operation of Sunflower Centers, which are on the front lines of protecting and supporting victims of sexual violence. The centers currently operate in hospital-provided space under agreements with the hospitals, but they face difficulties maintaining stable operations, including having to relocate when circumstances at a hospital change. I will work to establish a legal basis for budget support for space rental costs and secure the necessary funding so that victims of sexual violence can continue to receive protection and support in a stable environment.

Kim Jung-jae, chair of the National Assembly Gender Equality and Family Committee, is being interviewed by The Asia Business Daily. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju.

-What key legislation does your party plan to pursue?

▲The People Power Party is prioritizing bills to ease the burden of marriage on young people and protect crime victims and at-risk adolescents. One is the bill on the management of the wedding services industry. It would introduce a registration system for wedding venues and wedding-planning agencies and require them to obtain insurance or join mutual-aid programs, protecting young people from opaque pricing and unfair contracts. We are also pursuing amendments to the Youth Welfare Support Act to expand protection and self-reliance support for adolescents living outside their homes, and to the Child Care Support Act to improve the working conditions of childcare workers.

-Where do you expect disagreements with the ruling party, and how can they be resolved?

▲The biggest disagreements are likely to concern changing the Basic Act on Gender Equality to the Framework Act on Gender Equality and introducing Mifegyne. The government and ruling party want to replace "gender equality" with "gender equity," but this is not simply a change of name. Since it involves incorporating the concept of gender, meaning social gender, into the legal system, we must examine its potential impact across society, including on education and religious communities. Mifegyne also raises many issues that need to be addressed, including women's right to self-determination, the right to life of the fetus, the circumstances in which pregnancy termination is permitted, the medication's safety, and its legal basis. A public consultation process involving debate between the ruling and opposition parties and input from experts and the public is essential.

-The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has been expanded and reorganized, but successive ministerial nominees have withdrawn or been rejected. Some are concerned that this has weakened the ministry's momentum and its commitment to pursuing legislation.

▲We cannot help but ask whether there are problems with the appointment recommendation and vetting system associated with Kim Hyunji. The fundamental problem is the government's attitude toward the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. I question whether it is prioritizing political ties over expertise and integrity, and treating the appointment of a single woman politician as minister as if that were all that is needed. Before changing the ministry's name and size, the government should put forward people with expertise and integrity in policies concerning women, adolescents, and families.

-Some have called for the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

▲The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family handles specialized areas such as digital sex crimes, out-of-school adolescents, and socially vulnerable groups. There is no reason to abolish it. However, I believe we should pursue gender equality.

Kim Jungjae, chair of the National Assembly Gender Equality and Family Committee, is being interviewed by The Asia Business Daily. Photo by Yoon Dongju.

-You also represent the "Forum on Responding to Low Birth Rates and a Shrinking Society." What legislative tasks should be addressed to improve work-family balance, expand parental leave, and close gaps in care?

▲The low birth rate cannot be addressed simply by urging people to have children. We must first create an environment where people can continue working after having children and feel secure leaving their children in someone else's care. Although parental leave has been expanded, employees at small and medium-sized enterprises find it difficult to take leave because of a lack of replacement workers and the burden it places on their workplaces. We must do more than expand the system on paper; we need to ensure people can actually use it. Gaps in care are also a serious problem. We should improve childcare workers' working conditions and secure experienced staff, while also strengthening support for replacement workers at small and medium-sized enterprises.

-Birth rates have recently been trending upward. How do you assess this?

▲The recent increases in the number of births and marriages are welcome news. But we cannot say that the low birth rate problem has been solved. Structural issues such as natural population decline and the depopulation of regional areas remain serious. Of particular concern is the growing divide in marriage and childbirth. For young people, marriage has become a matter of cost rather than values. I will work to remove the practical barriers that lead young people to give up on marriage and having children.

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