President Yoon, "We Are Eliminating the Gender Ministry to Stop Seeing Victims as a 'Person Pleading Damages'"

President Yoon Suk-yeol answers questions from the press on his way to work at the Office of the President in Yongsan, Seoul on October 7. Office of the President press photographers

President Yoon Suk-yeol spoke on the plan to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which was included in the government reorganization plan by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and said, “We are eliminating the gender ministry to further strengthen the protection of women, families, children, and the socially vulnerable.” He also argued, “Even when it comes to the so-called issue of sexual irregularities due to abuse of power, we are trying to completely get away from the perspective of referring to people as a ‘person pleading damages.’ We will strengthen the protection of women.” The president referred to the incident where some people in the Democratic Party of Korea referred to the victims as a “person pleading damages” when the sexual irregularities of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon were revealed.

On the morning of October 7, President Yoon met with reporters on his way to work at the Office of the President in Yongsan, and when asked if he could get cooperation from the opposition party on eliminating the gender ministry, he gave his explanation and added, “It’s not easy to predict the situation in the National Assembly.”

A reporter asked the president if he would consider annulling the September 19 Military Agreement if North Korea conducted a seventh nuclear test. The president answered, “When it comes to cooperation in security, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan will carefully prepare a response through various channels including the foreign ministry and the national security office,” and added, “It’s hard to tell you in advance.” As for the court dismissing former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok’s request for an injunction to suspend the validity of the party’s emergency response committee on Thursday and the PPP ethics committee decision to suspend Lee’s party rights for another year, President Yoon said, “I have never answered questions on party affairs,” and refused to give a statement.

The president mentioned his phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday and said, “As for North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations, we agreed that South Korea, the U.S. and Japan would respond firmly by establishing a system for close cooperation in security.” President Yoon continued and said, “I shared my thoughts, which were similar to Prime Minister Kishida’s comment before the Japanese parliament--that South Korea was a partner to cooperate with on various international issues--and we agreed that when the relationship between South Korea and Japan quickly returned to the good old days and exchanges between companies and citizens improved, it would help the economies of both countries.”