Gender Equality Minister Signals Continuity After Successor Withdraws

South Korea’s gender equality minister indicated Thursday that she will continue leading the ministry after the lawmaker nominated to succeed her withdrew from consideration.

Won Min-kyung said the presidential office had asked her to keep the organization on a steady course following the withdrawal of Basic Income Party lawmaker Yong Hye-in. Won made the remarks during a briefing marking the first anniversary of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family’s launch.

Asked whether the message meant she had effectively been retained, Won said a minister’s tenure begins when the president assigns the job and ends when the appointing authority decides. She said she would work with ministry staff to carry out the policy tasks reported to the public and President Lee Jae Myung in July without disruption.

The comments offer the clearest indication yet that the ministry will maintain its current leadership after uncertainty created by Yong’s exit. Won did not describe a formal personnel decision, instead emphasizing continuity in the ministry’s work.

Won also addressed concerns about protecting victims of gender-based violence as the government moves to eliminate prosecutors’ supplementary investigative authority. She said the ministry has been consulting other agencies since July to ensure there is no gap or instability in victim protection, with a detailed briefing planned.

The ministry intends to provide guidance designed to reduce confusion as new investigative procedures and victim-rights protections take effect. Won said free legal support would also be strengthened so victims can receive legal assistance from the early stages of an investigation. She added that the ministry plans to monitor investigative processes and work with the National Police Agency to correct problems identified in practice.

On the government’s effort to build femicide statistics, Won said discussions are under way with the national data agency, police and other institutions using United Nations guidance. The ministry has consulted police on compiling figures for killings of women by intimate partners, a key femicide indicator. She said production of those statistics is expected to become possible after improvements to the police judicial information system next year.

A separate research project is planned next year to define hate motivation and develop methods for measuring hate-motivated killings, an area Won said cannot be captured adequately through existing standardized statistics.

Won also said the current legal definition of rape, which centers on violence and intimidation, does not fully reflect the range of sexual violence. She said the government would consult relevant ministries and consider differing views as it examines whether to introduce a consent-based definition.