Kim Kyeong-im, the second woman ambassador in the history of Korea's foreign diplomacy, has been appointed as Korea's ambassador to the Republic of Tunisia. She sets off for the country on June 17. Her appointment is all the more meaningful as she is the first woman to be representing Korea in eight years, since the appointment of Lee In-ho as the ambassadress to Russia in early 1996.

▶ Kim Kyeong-im, former head of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and currently serving as ambassadress to Tunisia, the second woman ambassador in the history of Korean foreign diplomacy. She was the first woman to pass the foreign diplomat examination in 1978, and served as the first woman director-general in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, setting records in the history of women public servants. <photograph by Min Won-ki>

Lee In-ho, the first woman ambassador, was an academic who had chaired the Korea Foundation, whereas Kim Kyeong-im is the first case as a foreign affairs public servant turned woman diplomat. Says Kim, "I've always been labeled the first woman something or other in my 20-year career, but I've not placed much significance in that. When asked my thoughts on the recent appointment, I say things are moving much too slowly for women if I'm only the second woman diplomat to be representing Korea."

Adds Kim, "As an Arabic state, Tunisia is a male-dominated nation, but eight of the 20 ministers are women, and the current vice-minister of foreign affairs is a woman. That women have made headway in politics in an Arabic state gives us much food for thought. Tunisia has a well-developed tourism industry, and a favorable climate for agriculture. On the economic front, Tunisia imports a considerable volume of Korean-made goods, but Korean companies should be more involved in 'direct investment' in the long run."

As the ambassadress to Tunisia, Kim plans to "be the bridge in strengthening economic relations between the two countries." She also promised, "As Tunisia is considered a good destination for foreign students interested in Islamic studies, I want to create many opportunities for Korean students, looking after not just economic diplomacy but cultural exchanges as well."

Ambassadress Kim proudly says that while maintaining the basic attitude of a diplomat, she will not lose sight of the 'pride of the marginalized' that she learnt as a woman. She concludes, "Women in Korean society are the weak minority, and having learnt to view society through the eyes of the minority, I am convinced that the minority can become the catalyst in history. I hope I can be a model for other women aiming to become diplomats."

<reported by Na Shin Ah-Ryeung arshin@womennews.co.kr>

The Queer Culture Festival Rainbow 2003 (executive organizing committee chaired by Hong Ki-hoon, sys-op of Hitel's online community for gay rights 'Another Love') will be held from June 21 to 29 along the streets of Jong-no with the assertive catchphrase "Move!" This will be the fourth time the queer festival Rainbow is held. The catchphrases so far were 'Shout it loud! I'm homosexual!' in 2000, 'Take just one step forward, let's play!' in 2001, 'Don't stop, now's the time! Hearts go thump-thump" in 2002, and now "Move!" this year, portraying the homosexuals' desire to break out of the closet as well as showing an increasingly proactive attitude.

The festival's programs have taken on a greater variety, moving from the initial focus on a queer parade to other events such as discussions and forums, exhibitions and performances, film festivals and so on. Participation has also increased every year, from 2000 spectators and 50 queer parade participants in 2000 to 20 thousand spectators and 500 parade participants in 2002, a ten-fold increase in actual participants in just two years.

This year, the festival programs include an opening performance, parade, exhibition, film festival, forum, as well as a free party to add to the fever of the festivities. On the eve of the festival on June 20, a symposium will be held in Korea University in commemoration of the Stonewall incident of New York in 1969 that triggered the explosive growth of gay and lesbian rights movements all over the world. Homosexual rights activists and gays and lesbians will be holding in-depth discussions on three discussion topics, 'Stonewall and the anti-war movement,' 'Why homosexuals are oppressed,' and 'Korean homosexual movement and its future.'

At 4 pm on June 21, the festivities will start with the declaration of the opening of Rainbow 2003, followed by the opening performance, parade and other stage performances, all on Jongno-3-ga. Then from 7pm, all along Pimatgol in Insa-dong, the queers will break free from oppressive prejudices to ravel in a free party under the catchphrase 'Are You Free?' The free party will comprise of events organized by participating groups as well as a Full Monty show, drag and fashion show, macho show and band performances, bringing the Saturday night party mood to a fevered pitch.

From June 23 to 29, a 'With or Without HIV/AIDS' exhibition displaying HIV/AIDS posters from all over the world will be opening in Chungmuro. A film festival entitled 'Queers, Homos, and Us!' is scheduled from June 27 to 29 at the Art Cube in Ilju Art House. A total of nine films portraying the loves of gays and lesbians including "Her Story" will be screened, providing the audience with a chance to ponder on the meaning of labels like queer and homo that oppress the lives of homosexuals.

Rainbow 2003 has the participation of 14 groups from home and broad including the Korean Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders' Coalition for Human Rights, the Korean Sexual Minority Culture and Rights Center, a women sexual minority human rights group 'Kkiri Kkiri (meaning 'birds of a feather'),' a men's sexual minority human rights group 'Between Friends,' and an online community for gay and lesbian rights called 'Another Love.' The festival is sponsored by the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation. To participate in the parade or learn more about the program, visit the festival's website at www.kqcf.org or call 0505-339-2003.

<reported by Kam Hyun-joo soon@womennews.co.kr>

▶October 2000, 16 civic groups including the Citizens' Alliance for Culture Reform and Korea Women's Association United launched the emergency committee regarding the 'Abang Palace' case and re-started the exhibition. <photograph by Min Won-ki>

The courts sided feminist artists in the legal battle between the artists and the Jeonju Yi clan regarding the avant-garde cultural event in Jongmyo Park. (translator's note: Jongmyo Park houses the ancestral shrines of the royal Yi family of the Chosun dynasty) Known as the 'Abang Palace' case, the court clash between feminism and Confucianism went through a lengthy three-year trial to herald a paradigm shift in feminist culture. The 'Abang Palace' case began in September 2000. Under the auspices of Seoul Metropolitan City and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, feminist artists prepared to hold a feminist art festival entitled 'The Abang Palace Jongmyo Project,' but came up against violent obstruction by the Jeonju Yi clan (translator's note: descendents of the Royal Yi family). The Yi clan claimed that they "could not allow some avant-garde culture event to desecrate the solemn national symbol of Jongmyo."

Eight members of the feminist artist group 'Ibgim' who had planned the art event filed a lawsuit against the Yi clan, claiming 40 million Won in damages. But the feminist lost the first round to the confucianists when Judge Lee Young-han of the Seoul District Court dismissed the case on September 17, 2002 saying, "The damage claim would hold if the Yi clan had taken illegal action, but there is insufficient evidence to that effect."

Nine months later on June 3 this year, the feminists won the second trial at Court 455 of the Seoul District Court, where part of the court decision of the first trial was overruled. The "insufficient evidence of illegal action by the Yi clan" that the judge sited during the first trial was shot down when a video tape of the Yi clan's rampage was accepted as court evidence and screened before a panel of four judges during the second trial. The Yi clan had insisted that none of its members had gone to the event and had denied any knowledge of illegal acts, but the video tape proved that the clan had organized its members to "crash" the event.

Feminist photographer Park Young-sook comments, "The court case shows the patriarchal and male-chauvinist nature of the Korean cultural environment, where a purely cultural event can be turned into a social controversy. The court decision was only too right, and it will be like a breath of fresh air as it has set a good, albeit belated, precedent in moving towards a mature society."

<reported by Dong Kim Sung-hye dong@womennews.co.kr>

▶ Minister of Justice Kang Kum-sil revealing her thoughts on women's issues such as the abolishment of the hoju system and legislation of the Anti-Prostitution Act in front of a meeting with 50 women organized by The Women's News on June 2.

Justice Minister Kang Kum-sil has promised to take the lead in resolving women's issues such as abolishing the hoju system and legislating the Anti-Prostitution Act, drawing attention to the outcome of her promised efforts.

Minister Kang said that a Family Act Revision Committee with participation from progressive figures is in the making, and mentioned that if needed, the Ministry of Justice will come up with a bill for the revision of the Anti-Prostitution Act. Kang also revealed plans to form a strategic planning team (task force) to look into the added disadvantages that victims of prostitution face in the course of police investigations. The minister revealed all these plans at the 'Let's Meet Kang Kum-sil' event organized by The Women's News on June 2, where she also emphasized that she would "concentrate efforts on resolving issues related to women." The event was organized with the aim of getting Minister Kang to meet leading women activists to widen their scope of mutual understanding on women's issues.

hoju system abolishment "an irreversible trend"
▲ Abolishment of the hoju system = Asked by representative Lee Oh Kyung-sook of the KWAU "how the Ministry views the abolishment of the hoju system," Minister Kang answered, "The Ministry's duty with regards to the hoju system is streamlining laws and regulations. We are looking to revising the Family Act in the long run, and the dominant trend within the Ministry since my inauguration has been moving towards hoju abolishment." When it was pointed out that the Ministry had said it was too early to eliminate the patrilineal enforcement clause, Kang acknowledged the point, but added that "ultimately, the clause will be eliminated." Kang also predicted that the Special Committee for the revision of the Family Act, which has the participation of numerous progressive figures, will "reap considerable results regarding the Family Act."

Task Force to protect women victimized by prostitution
▲ Legislation of the Anti-Prostitution Act = Co-representative Lee Kang-shil of the KWAU pointed out "the urgent need to legislate anti-prostitution laws," to which Minister Kang replied, "The Ministry's Women's Policy Office is also of the opinion that such laws are needed. I am aware that women groups have petitioned for the legislation of such laws, and if needed, the Ministry can come up with the draft to revise relevant laws."
The minister also revealed "plans to form a task force to look into the disadvantages faced by victims of prostitution in the course of police investigations." She explained that "the task force will concentrate especially on child victims," and asked women groups to "recommend people who can work on the task force."

▲ Active support for women groups = Minister Kang repeatedly confirmed her "active support" for the women's issues brought up during the meeting. Asked for her opinion on expanding women's political participation by President Lee Chun-ho of the Korea Women Voters' League, Kang replied, "As this is the domain of the National Assembly, I can't give you a detailed answer, but I am personally very supportive of women's political participation. More women have to join politics for the conservative bureaucratic community to change."

▲ Social issues
Known to be relatively reticent since the launching of the Participatory Government, Minister Kang was quite vocal during the meeting in expressing her views on not only women's issues but various other issues including the controversial Saemangeum project, her philosophy in running the Justice Ministry, and the Hanchongnyeon students' political outlaw status.

Personally against the Saemangeum Project = Regarding the Saemangeum development project that has recently become a controversial issue once more with the month-long national protest tour by well-known figures from civic society, Minister Kang revealed a rather unique opinion, saying, "Personally I'm against the Saemangeum project, but as a government official, I'm hardly in a position to be vocally against it."

"Ministry of Justice needs more women officials"
Minister Kang also shared her thoughts on how she wanted to run the Justice Ministry. Explained Kang, "It's not just the system that makes the Ministry conservative. There needs to be a channel with feelers out for reform and changes, and like the consultative committee run by the Prosecutors' Office, the Justice Ministry also needs a channel for civilian exchanges. I've given instructions to increase the number of women employees as much as possible."

▲ Legalization of Hanchongnyeon = Regarding the legalization of the currently outlawed Hanchongnyeon (Korea Federation of General Student Councils), Kang said, "The legalization of Hanchongnyeon and amnesty for its members wanted by the police are closely related. The militant attitude shown recently by the students during the Gwangju Uprising commemoration event has worked against them. Since the current administration is looking into solving their problem, the students should be cooperative on their part. My opinion that they should be given legal status has not changed, and I'm still looking into it."

Asked her feelings about the 100 days since the inauguration of the Participatory Government, Minister Kang responded, "More than half of the public servants are outstanding people of unquestionable capabilities and moral character. But government officialdom continues to receive criticism and is unable to part with bureaucracy, and that's the challenge it will have to face from now on."
The event comprised of a diverse program including a dinner talk, performance and Q&A. The Minister showed an honest and open attitude in talking with the participants, even revealing personal matters that she had hitherto been reluctant to comment on, and responding with gusto to a request to sing a song. The 50 participants included The Women's News executives, politicians, businesswomen, and women from the academia and women groups.

<reported by Bae Young-hwan ddarijoa@womennews.co.kr>

(The Women's News http://www.womennews.co.kr)  

Articles condensed by Lee- In-hwa, translated by Cho Eung-joo.

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