[2026 Parliamentary Audit] Won Mingyeong: "Comprehensive Legislation on Intimate Partner Violence Needed"... Marriage Support Payment Funding Also Sparks Debate

Oct. 28, National Assembly Gender Equality and Family Committee audit
Won Mingyeong: "Strongly supports" abolishing the clause barring punishment against victims' wishes

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Won Mingyeong said on Oct. 28 that laws need to be enacted or amended to comprehensively regulate violence occurring in intimate relationships, including stalking and dating violence.

At a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly’s Gender Equality and Family Committee that day, Won agreed that legal protections against intimate partner violence were inadequate, saying, “I agree with comprehensive legislation on intimate partner violence.”

Yonhap News Agency

She added, “I believe the law needs to be amended or new legislation enacted overall, including to address the fact that the Act on Punishment of Stalking Crimes has provisions for attaching electronic monitoring devices, while the Act on Punishment of Domestic Violence Crimes does not.”

She also said she “strongly supports” abolishing the clause that prevents perpetrators from being punished against the victim’s wishes.

At the parliamentary audit that morning, a marriage support payment planned for introduction next year came under scrutiny. The government is considering paying 1 million won to households that register their marriages, regardless of income, and aims to launch the program in the second half of next year.

People Power Party lawmaker Jo Jiyeon questioned the use of the Future Response Fund to finance the marriage support payment, asking, “What does providing 1 million won in cash support have to do with the Future Response Fund?” She added, “The point is not that encouraging marriage is wrong, but that the program does not align with the purpose of the Future Response Fund.”

Won replied, “I believe that creating better conditions for people to marry is a way for the country to prepare for the future.” When Jo pressed her on how the program would continue if excess tax revenue declined, Won said, “We will look into it.”

Safety measures for adolescents using medication to end a pregnancy also became a point of contention.

People Power Party lawmaker Lim Jongdeuk said that adequate standards for minors’ use of the medication and procedures to protect adolescents who are victims of sexual crimes should be established.

Won said, “We are compiling information submitted to counseling centers, including the Youth Counseling Hotline, and preparing guidelines.”

Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Jeong Chunsaeng called for abolishing the Juvenile Act’s provision on “juveniles prone to delinquency,” which allows protective measures to be imposed based on concerns about possible delinquency even when no crime has been committed.

Won replied, “There are occasional cases in which being classified as a juvenile prone to delinquency is necessary to gain access to a recovery support facility. We will look into this as well.”

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