:: NewsLetter ::

On Dec 27, 2000, it was confirmed that the Ministry of Gender Equality will be set up as a central administrative branch. Women's groups in Korea have continuously demanded the establishment of a Ministry of Gender Equality that can address the still widespread problems of patriarchal culture and gender discrimination and take charge of supervising and implementing policies related to women.

It comes as no surprise that women's groups such as the Korean National Council of Women and the Korea Women's Associations United unanimously released statements welcoming the inauguration of the Ministry of Gender Equality, a long-denied dream of the women's movement.

As a central administrative branch, the Ministry Gender Equality will exercise legislative rights such as proposing regulations and ordinances, as well as voting rights in state affairs.

The Women's News hosted a symposium in step with the inauguration of the Ministry to discuss the direction that the new Ministry should take. The following is a summary of the pending issues the panelists thought the Ministry will have to deal with.

First and foremost is the abolishment of the family headship (Hoju) system, followed by the revision of laws related to women such as the Basic Act for Women's Development and laws preventing prostitution. And the Ministry should be granted actual authority if it is to oversee and coordinate relevant policies in other ministries. To this end, several measures are called for, such as the formation of a committee to review women's policies, the authorization to control the budget needed for implementing policies. and the appointment of officers in charge of women's affairs in every ministry. For these officers to effectively monitor women's affairs, they should be authorized to preview bills, examine and evaluate policies, and review budgets. Also, it is important that the Ministry has the power to order government agencies and public and private companies to carry out their duties stipulated in laws prohibiting gender discrimination.

There is a need to step up efforts to resolve women's poverty and their lack of rights to work and life. More data has to be collected on issues such as wage differences and unbalanced sex ratio. Also, in order to facilitate women's participation in society, the maternity protection system must be improved, working women should be accorded favorable treatment, and reasonable standards should be set to assess the economic value of household labor. Active publicity campaigns should be launched to heighten women's awareness and interest. Lastly, it is crucial to secure and nurture more professionals who are equipped with both a feminist viewpoint and actual administrative abilities.

The inauguration of the Ministry of Gender Equality is a dramatic turning point in Korea's feminist movement, and is expected to pave the way for enhanced women's rights and greater gender equality. However, the Ministry is the smallest among the 17 ministries and faces considerable public opposition, meaning that the road ahead is far from smooth.

Civic Groups Call for Revision of SOFA ... SOFA Must be Replaced by Peace Treaty

The five-year-long negotiations for the revision of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) were finally concluded. The newly-revised SOFA is considered to reflect Korea's demands regarding criminal jurisdiction, environmental protection, labor, quarantine, areas and facilities. Regarding criminal jurisdiction, the prime example of unfair clauses in the SOFA, U.S. soldiers accused of 12 grievous crimes such as murder and rape can now be handed over to Korean authorities earlier, at the point of their indictment. Another noteworthy change is the creation of environmental provisions.

Upon closer scrutiny however, it can be said that the changes are cosmetic, not fundamental. There is rising criticism that certain clauses were even changed for the worse.

First of all, earlier custody transfer is restricted to 12 specified serious crimes, and detention of suspects upon their arrest is limited to only some of the crimes. For example, for rape to be included in the 12 crimes, it has to be 'egregious' rape, leaving much room for contention. Furthermore, Korean authorities are not allowed to question the accused after indictment, and the clause that prevents the prosecution from appealing remains unchanged. Environmental clauses were introduced in the form of a special memorandum of understanding, with little hope of enforcement due to the absence of obligations to compensate for damages or to return the affected area to its original form. A new clause prevents trespassing on land granted to the U.S. army by prohibiting the entry of Korean residents who own the land. Critics point to this clause as the most serious example of clauses that have been changed for the worse.

There are no provisions in the SOFA safeguarding the rights of women working as hostesses patronized by U.S. soldiers and 'Kormerican' children fathered by U.S soldiers. But this was not even mentioned during the SOFA revision negotiations, inviting harsh criticism from women's groups that have been continuously campaigning the issue.

Mr. Kim Yonghan, president of the People's Action for the Reform of the Unequal SOFA, called for "a comprehensive revision of the SOFA, its annexes, and the US-ROK Mutual Defence Treaty," and announced the organization's plans to "launch a new year of struggle, starting with a protest at the American Embassy on the 16th of January."
Ms. Kim Hyunsun, representative of Saewoomtuh, a center for women and children living in gijichon, (communities next to U.S. military camps) stresses that "the status and contents of the current SOFA must be changed to those of a peace treaty." She also points out the need to revise domestic laws related to gijichon, and to establish international solidarity with American civic groups and other U.S. army host countries.

With the inauguration of the Ministry of Gender Equality, the possibility of women groups realizing their long-standing goals are higher than ever before. Here is this year's to-do list for women groups.

▲ Form public consensus and file a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court against the Family Headship(Hoju) system for abolishiment of Hoju system.
▲ Campaign for legislation of laws to prevent prostitution
▲ Call for revision of laws regarding irregular employment
▲ Work to gain more authority for new Ministry of Gender Equality. Strengthen system of appointing officers in charge of women's affairs in every ministry.
▲ Call for revision of discriminatory provisions in laws governing property rights of spouses. Spread practice of co-ownership of property between spouses.
▲ Increase women's participation in peace and reunification movements
▲ Facilitate online women's movement
▲ Launch campaigns to root out genetically modified food and change childbirth practices.
▲ Call for legislation of laws protecting women such as Anti-stalker Act and Anti-prostitution Act.
▲ Ask colleges to introduce regulations prohibiting sexual violence, in order to cultivate gender equality on campus.
▲ Monitor restructuring process more closely to prevent discrimination against women in lay-offs.
▲ Push for introduction of recall system, as demanded by Koyang city residents who protested against their mayor for permitting construction of 'love hotels'.

What is Hoju system?

Hoju means 'head of the family,' and in Korea, the Hoju system is the system used to file the personal records of all Korean citizens. One person is named the hoju, and the rest of the family are registered under the hoju. So all the citizens' records are kept in family units, not individual files.

However, the Hoju system goes far beyond the function of certifying a citizen's identity. It is a gender discriminatory practice that acknowledges only paternal lineage by giving the man of the family first priority when naming the hoju.

For example, if the hoju dies, the family must report the transfer of the hoju title within one month, and there is a hierarchy involved. The first in line is a male descendent of the former hoju (his son, grandson, great grandson... all of whom are considered family regardless of marriage), followed by an unmarried female descendent (daughters are not considered family once they marry), the wife, the mother, and then the daughter-in-law.

This order of inheritance of the hoju title undermines equality among family members, and runs counter to the principle of the Constitution proclaiming that every individual has the right to dignity and gender equality in family life (Article 10). The Hoju system has been the grounds for countless unreasonable and gender discriminatory practices - subordinating the woman to her husband's family, making the children take their father's surname, prohibiting the woman from re-registering her children under her name if she divorces or remarries.

Korean women groups have long been critical of the Hoju system. In the past few years, they have fought to abolish this system by organizing various seminars, signature-collecting drives, and a campaign to use both parents' family names. They are also collecting plaintiffs in preparation to file a class suit against the Hoju system, in order to prove that it is a violation of the Constitution. Women groups are determined to put an end to the Hoju system within this year.