[Exclusive] 15 Government Committees Have 'Zero' Appointed Female Members

23 Committees Exempted from Improvement Recommendations Despite Falling Short of Gender Balance

It was found that 15 government committees responsible for deliberating and deciding on major government policies have no women appointed as members.

According to materials submitted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to Assemblywoman Lee Su-jin, a member of the National Assembly’s Gender Equality and Family Committee, 15 government committees had no women appointed as members, meaning that all 97 appointed members were men.

The Financial Services Commission had the most, with three committees. Not a single woman had been appointed to the Public Funds Repayment Fund Management Review Committee (4 members), the Financial Hub Promotion Committee (6 members), or the Securities and Futures Commission (3 members).

Among committees with 10 or more appointed members, all members were men at the Quantum Strategy Committee of the Ministry of Science and ICT (10 members), the Military Airfield Relocation Site Selection Committee of the Ministry of National Defense (13 members), and the Medical Device Industry Development Support Committee of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (10 members).

Article 21 of the Framework Act on Gender Equality stipulates that members of either sex appointed to government committees must not account for more than 60% of the total. However, exceptions are allowed when unavoidable reasons, such as a shortage of experts of a particular sex, are recognized.

According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, 23 committees with less than 40% women among their appointed members were excluded from this year’s recommendations for improvement after receiving approval for exceptions through deliberation and a resolution by the Gender Equality Working Committee in September. Exceptions were granted to three committees—the Future Automotive Parts Industry Ecosystem Revitalization Strategy Meeting of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the National Space Committee of the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA), and the Central Maritime Search and Rescue Technology Committee of the Korea Coast Guard—on the grounds that there were too few female experts in the relevant fields. For 12 committees, including the Financial Services Commission’s Public Funds Management Committee, the fact that external organizations had the authority to recommend members was recognized as grounds for an exception. In particular, four of the 15 committees with no women appointed, including the Military Airfield Relocation Site Selection Committee, were also included among the committees exempted from recommendations for improvement in the first half of this year.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said, “For institutions with insufficient representation of women on their committees, we are actively identifying female experts and encouraging external institutions and organizations to ensure gender balance when making recommendations.”

Assemblywoman Lee said, “Since government committees make decisions on major policies, they should reflect diverse perspectives,” adding, “The government must make greater efforts to identify female experts and ensure gender balance in the process of appointing committee members.”

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