The 9th Women's Worlds 2005(WW05) is set for June 19-24 in Seoul

Embrace the world in the name of peace

A large number of female celebrities join the Congress: Gertrude Mongella, Irene Dankelman, and Ueno Chizko

From the bottom of their hearts, Korean women welcome the 3000 global sisters who have come to Seoul for WW05. We hope that this special convention, where we will be "Embracing the Earth", will provide a valuable opportunity for women of the world to express their solidarity, to share a fresh vision of the world and to bask in their sisterly love.

Over 3,000 scholars of women's studies, women's movement activists and women's policy experts get together in Seoul on June 19. The 9th International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women, or Women's Worlds 2005(WW05), organized by the Korean Association of Womens Studies(KAWS) and Ewha Womans University, and sponsored by the Organizing Committee for WW05, is held at Ewha Womans University, Yonsei University and Sogang University from June 19 to 24. Since it's first meeting in Israel in 1981, the Congress has been held every three years.
Chang Pilwha, chairwoman of the Organizing Committee for WW05 told reporters at the Soeul Press Center on June 7, ¡°The upcoming Congress is the first one ever to be held in Asia. Advancement in women's studies in the region where women have seriously been oppressed, paradoxically bears a great significance.¡± ¡°The Congress will be conducive to expediting the advent of a new peaceful era which will embrace the world,¡± she hoped.
The theme for the Congress is ¡°Embracing the Earth: East-West/North-South).¡± Key speakers include Pan-African Parliament Chairwoman Gertrude Mongella, Irene Dankelman, who introduced the concept of sustainable development in environment for the first time, Wu Qing, a Chinese social worker, and Ueno Chizko, Japan's top-notch researcher of sociology and women's studies.
The Congress starts with a keynote speech on ¡°Visions of Feminism¡± on June 20, followed by ¡°Violence, Intolerance and the Culture of Peace¡± on June 21, ¡°Globalization, Economic Values and Poverty¡± on June 22, ¡°Changing Paradigms for the State, Health and Environment¡± on June 23, and ¡°Celebrating Women's Leadership --- the Way Forward¡± on June 24. On top of these plenary session speeches, more than 400 panels, round-tables meetings and workshops will capture our attention.
Currently, 2100 proposals for papers from 90 countries have reached the Organizing Committee. Chair of the Academic Program Committee Kim Hyun Mee, Sociology Professor at Yonsei University, remarked, "The reality is that reductions in welfare budgets due to global liberalization make poverty of women grow more serious. They turned their adversities, however, into great opportunities and now exercise leadership in areas that have long been neglected.¡±
Other events related to the Congress include: the eve at Kyunghee Palace on June 19, exhibition of works by feminist video activists, a film festival on women workers by the Korean Women Workers Associations United(KWWAU), the 3rd Art exhibition on women at Sungkok Art Museum, and Fantastic Asia.

 

Focus Interview:

¡°Hoping scholars work to come up with fresh paradigms¡±

Chang Pilwha, chairwoman of the Organizing Committee for WW05

¡°I will focus on showing the outstanding caliber and creativity of Korean women to the world!¡± Chang Pilwha, chairwoman of the Organizing Committee for WW05 pledged at the inauguration ceremony of the committee on June 15 last year. With the official opening of the Seoul Congress only ten days away, she seemed more confident at an interview held on June 8 than she was a year ago. Being the first Korean professor of women's studies at Ehwa in 1984, the chairwoman, nicknamed the Godmother of Women's Studies, has been lecturing there for 21 years.
-Of a variety of programs, what draws your attention in particular?
¡°This year marks the 10th anniversary of founding the Asian Center for Women's Studies(ACWS). Nine textbooks in Women's Studies in Asia Series --- Women's Studies Textbooks in Eight Polities --- have recently come out. We have worked on the series since 2000 in which researchers of women's studies in eight countries including Taiwan, Indonesia, China, Thailand, the Philippines, Korea, Japan and India have participated. Based on their first-hand look at women of their own countries, we have complied textbooks for college students. A symposium to be held in commemoration of the tenth birthday of the center and a ceremony for the textbook publication on June 23 would be the most memorable events.¡±
-Women's studies in Korea has an unmatched standing in Asia. Tell me about its international stature.
¡°In 1977, an undergraduate course on women's studies was open at Ewha and its masters program was launched in 1982 for the first time in Asia. Students from Australia, China and Japan studied at the Graduate School of Women's Studies. On the international front, like the U.S., Korea is recognized as a country that introduced women's studies at an early stage.¡±
-Any advice to younger scholars and women's movement activists?
¡°By acknowledging differences and sharing their own experiences and views, I do hope scholars work to come up with fresh paradigms.¡±
Im Hyun-Sun, reporter, The Women's News

 

Assembly OKs bills for women's rights & interests in April

The president to head a panel on low fertility rate and aged society... The revised Equal Employment Act demands the society pay an entire salary for a 90-day maternity leave

Bills for women's affairs that were passed by extraordinary sessions of the National Assembly in April mean a lot in terms of women's rights and interests. The Basic Act on Fertility and Aged Society, among others, is geared to cope with the world's lowest fertility rate of 1.19, and rapid aging in the Korean society.
The act provides that the government should establish and carry out comprehensive policies to address these issues, and that based on these central government's ideas, local governments come up with specific policies, reflecting socio-economic conditions in the local areas.
According to the act, the minister of health and welfare is asked to draw up a basic plan for the low fertility and aged society every five years through consultations with heads of administrative agencies in the central government.
To deliberate key issues on such policies, the act also calls for establishment of a committee for low fertility and aged society under control of the president who would chair it. An agency will be installed within the Ministry of Health and Welfare to render working-level services to the panel.
With the approval of amendments to acts on Labor Standards, Employment Insurance and Equal Employment, a salary that a female worker gets during 90 days of her maternity leave would be entirely paid by the society. If a female worker who is four to seven months pregnant has an abortion or gives birth to a dead child, she is allowed to take a 45-day maternity leave beginning next year, regardless of the size of her workplace. The allowance for such a leave would be entirely covered by an employment insurance.
A revised bill to an act that supports female entrepreneurs now defines businesswoman not as female executives in companies managed by women but as those in all businesses. The act aims at providing female executives of ordinary businesses with equal opportunities for training, education and start-up supports. In the past, they have been discriminated against simply because the owners of their companies were men.

 

Nine companies win Equal Employment Awards

Females at Samsung SDS, Pantech account for over 30% on the average

Celebrating an equal employment week, an award ceremony of the 5th Equal Employment was held at the Grand Ballroom of the COEX on April 1. Nine businesses and 20 people were awarded prizes for their dedication to equal employment opportunities, maternity protection, support for workplace and home, employment of female workforce and development of occupational skills.
A presidential commendation was bestowed on Samsung SDS(President & CEO Kim In), prime minister's commendations went to Designhouse(President Kim Young Hye), Pantech's Gimpo Factory(President & CEO Lee Sung Kyu), Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center
(President Seo Soo Ji) and Jeil Electrical Machinery Industry(President & CEO Kang Jong Tae).
Three businesses including Pusan National University Hospital(PNUH) were given commendations by the labor minister. In 2004, the ratio of female employees newly recruited by these awardees took up more than 30% on the average. The ratios at Pantech's Gimpo Factory and Andong Medical Center in Gyeongbuk stood at 65% and 64%, respectively, while the ratio of Designhouse stood at 50%. Pantech's Gimpo Factory and Designhouse allowed 40% of females to take care of job interviews, showing signs of reducing gender discrimination at the stage of recruitment.
The labor ministry has presented prizes to businesses for their contribution to stable employment for women and improvement in sexual discrimination at work since April 1, 1988 when the Equal Employment Act took effect.

 

Top women's issues in the first half of 2005

¡®Hoju¡¯ System becomes history

On the heels of last year's achievements, Korean women have come a long way for their empowerment this year. Some of their concerns and pending issue are as follows:-Ed.

The National Assembly passed a revision bill of the civil law focusing on the abolition of the ¡®Hoju¡¯ System, or the Family Registry System, at a plenary session on March 2. The bill was supported by 235 of 296 lawmakers on the register, with 58 opposing and 16 abstaining.
Accordingly, the traditional Hoju System, which has been under fire as a patriarchal, gender discriminatory system since the enactment of the civil law in 1958, becomes a new status registration system on January 1, 2008. The current system, therefore, will remain in effect until the end of 2007. As a result, the government came up with legislations by the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court, while the civic groups organized a common action to enact purpose-specific status registry act.
A newborn baby will use the father's surname in principle, but he or she will be allowed to use the mother's surname when the parents agree as such, the revision said. When a child under the age of 15 is adopted, he or she will be listed in a family register as a real child, enabling the adoptee to have the same rights as a biological child.
Meanwhile, members of organizations which have long been supporting the abolition of the Confucian-inspired family registry system welcomed the Assembly decision, held a press conference and issued a statement. The Citizens' Solidarity for Abolition of the Hoju System, the Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations, the Korea Women's Associations United(KWAU) said in their statement, ¡°The abolition of the system means a lot to us as it brings such values as democratic gender, gender equality and individual dignity and sets future directions in which our family and society should follow.¡±

 

Parties eager to get more women to run for 2006 local elections

The Uri Party proposes a 'duo-seat system'... Woman groups insist on 30%-odd female proportional representation in upper-level local governments

Political parties are bent on seeking ways to have more women win seats in local elections in 2006. Rep. You Seung Hee of the Uri Party proposed a ¡®duo-seat system¡¯ which would allow each voter to choose one male candidate and one female candidate at a time in each lower-level electoral district. The idea is to raise the portion of female representatives in lower-level local governments up to 50%.
The Democratic Labor Party(DLP) intends to increase female candidates by expanding the ratio of proportional representation seats to 1:1 through revamping laws, while going ahead with a compulsory quota of 30% for female candidates in local districts by way of institutional reforms within the party. The DLP has already set up a planning division for 2006 local elections in its committee on women's affairs. The new division has been discussing the party's institutional reforms, and is carrying out projects including training to single out candidates, and supportive projects to stimulate female participation in politics.
In woman circles, Cho Hyun Ock, President of the Korea Women's Political Solidarity
(KWPS) proposed a ¡®duo-seat system¡¯ or a female upper-level electoral district system for lower-level local councils. KWPS also demanded an increase of the ratio of proportional representation seats at least up to 30% for upper-level local councils, nomination of more than 30% of women as local district candidates, a raise in the government subsidy, and complement of local primaries. Currently, women account for 9.2% of the total representatives in upper-level local councils, and 2.2% of the total in lower-level local councils.

 

MOGE realigned into Ministry of Gender Equality & Family

Reorganized ministry to serve as a think tank for new family policies

Responding to the aspiration of Korean women, the Ministry of Gender Equality (MOGE), which set sail in January, 2001 as a central administrative agency to plan and coordinate gender policies, is said to be reorganized as the Ministry of Gender Equality & Family(MOGEF) on June 23. The reorganization is designed to introduce new policies for family such as, establishment of 'The Dolbom(Caretaker) Network' at a community level.
To formulate integrated family policies, and coordinate, support and evaluate them, the ministry will newly install the Bureau of Family Policies to be composed of three divisions: Division of Family Policies, Division of Family Support and Division of Family Culture. To strengthen the network of domestic and foreign women's organization, the ministry will institute a director general for external cooperation.
If the revision bill for the government organization act, which includes these plans, wins approval at the cabinet meeting on June 14, the ministry will celebrate the launching of the reorganized ministry on June 23 at the Seoul Press Center.

 

What has the 9-month-old sex trade prevention act left?

Over 90% of Koreans say, “Sex trade is a crime.” 22.1 billion won earmarked to help sexually exploited victims stand on their own

Taking effect nine months ago, the sex trade prevention act has heightened Korea's international image as an advanced human rights country. The act is viewed as embodiment of women's movement over the last four years to drive out sex trade. Sparked off by a fire in a brothel in Daemyung-dong, Gunsan, Jeonbuk in 2000 that claimed five lives, the movement, initiated by women in Jeonbuk, gained further momentum to become a nationwide campaign.
After drastically revising the Act on Prevention of Prostitution, Etc. enacted in 1961 the act became effective on September 23. For instance, the word ¡®prostitution¡¯that might infringe upon women's human rights has been altered into ¡®sex trade,¡¯shifting the status of women in sex trade from criminals to victims.
After the act went into effect, the Ministry of Gender Equality asked TNS, a research firm, to conduct a survey on sex trade. The result of the survey showed that 94.9% of Koreans considered sex trade as a crime. On top of this, the annual Trafficking In Persons Report, released on June 3 by the U.S. State Department, evaluated that the Korean government has taken substantive measures to eradicate sex trade and human trafficking via legislation and enforcement of the Sex Trade Prevention Act.
Meanwhile, the government has removed 17 red-light districts across the nation, striving to help sex traders with training and self-support programs. The Ministry of Gender Equality, which is in charge of rooting out sex trade, has earmarked approximately 22.1 billion won to enforce the act.

 

¡°Economic value of housework needs to be appreciated¡±

Rep. Lee Kei Kyung moves to include housework in an income deduction Opponents blast pecuniary valuation of housework

A move to institutionalize or revise laws to attach an economic value to housework done by a full-time homemaker has recently gained steam in the Korean society. Rep. Lee Kei Kyung of the Grand National Party(GNP), a woman activist-turned lawmaker, introduced an income tax revision bill on May 18 which demanded an economic value be given to housework so that it would be part of income deduction at a year-end settlement.
According to the bill, a basic deduction of a spouse whose income is zero or less than one million won a year should be raised from current one million to 12 million won at a year-end settlement.
Opponents in the government, however, do not agree with this idea although they have a shared appreciation of the value of housework. An official at the Ministry of Finance and Economy said, ¡°The bill might hurt equity in terms of a tax burden between working housewives and full-time homemakers. Deduction of salaries for housemaids, however, is realistically possible.¡±
Some are worried that there would be a decrease of about 3 trillion won in the government's tax revenues. A discrimination research society comprised of experts of women's studies and sociologists, refute pecuniary valuation of housework.
A recent court decision views housework done by a full-time homemaker not as manual labor but as a special behavior of labor that requires expertise and skills.

 

Rape by husband could face criminal prosecution

Approval of a revised bill of an act on special cases of domestic violence highly likely... Governments to shoulder medical fees for victims

Legal grounds on which a husband raping his wife could be subject to criminal punishment would be in place in June at the earliest if a revision bill of an act on special cases of domestic violence is passed by the extraordinary session of the National Assembly.
The bill makes a clause on sexual violence part of a concept of domestic violence which would involve a rape, an assault on a woman by force, and a quasi-rape, making a rape by a spouse criminally punished. It would also allow the police, rushing to the scene at the request of a victim, to arrest an offender red handed, depending on the situation.
According to an emergency safeguarding step of the police as provided by the bill, the offender could be evicted from his house or denied access to his spouse for 48 hours by a restraint order.
Meanwhile, the bill calls for establishment of a team of judges responsible for domestic violence in the family court. It would require government agencies, public institutions, and schools to offer a mandatory educational program to stave off domestic violence.
At the same time, the bill includes a new clause that could have central and local governments bear medical fees for victims of domestic violence. The bill would also permit the government to issue an order to protect a victim, prohibit any property from being transferred to others without consent of a victim, and limit parental rights.

 

84 lawmakers in gender equality forum establishes sisterhood relationship with 55 women's organizations

"Women's groups need to support and oversea us to make the 17th-term Assembly a symbol of gender equality," the forum asks

Committing themselves to realizing gender equality, 84 members of the National Assembly's forum for gender equality
(Co-chaired by Reps. Kim Choon Jin, Lee Kei Kyung, Park Sei Hwan, Lee Eun Young), and heads of women's organizations established sisterhood relationship with each other at the main building of the Assembly on June 1.
More than 20 lawmakers on hand promised to support activities of women's organizations, while 30-odd heads of the organizations pledged to support, supervise and criticize their parliamentary activities.
The female leaders explained 39 bills on women's affairs that are being introduced to the current Assembly to the lawmakers. Rep. Park Sei Hwan, the Grand National Party(GNP) noted, ¡°Four of the bills on women's affairs have cleared the Assembly's plenary sessions.¡± ¡°We'll do our level best to make today's Assembly evaluated later on as reflecting the spirit of the times in terms of gender equality,¡± he stressed.
President Kwak Bae Hee of the Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations requested, ¡°The forum is expected to take the lead in raising the number of lawmakers up to 50%.¡± ¡°To better reflect women's ideas in the law-making process, partnership with us is a must. So, I want you to work on gender-specific impact assessment of legislators,¡± demanded President Yoo Kyunghee of The Korean Womenlink.

 

Huh Nansolhon (1563-1589)
A feminist poet of the Chosun Dynasty

She produced poems, but no sons. Up against male-dominated culture, She played the role of the villain. A premature death at 27 Sowed the seeds of feminist culture

The Huh Nansolhon Memorial Festival was organized by the Korea Women's Hot Line and held in July 2004 at her house of birth near Gangneung, a coastal city in Gangwon province. The festival closed successfully after arousing significant attention and interest. The participants were mourning the tragic death of this dynamic Chosun lady, whose wings had been broken at the very young age of 27.
Nansolhon was born during a time when the Confucian scholar nobility was gaining control of government. A women's free spirit and her ability to lead an uninhibited life were strictly prohibited. In such a closed society, where total segregation of the sexes was becoming a universal norm, the division of gender roles restricted a woman's social activities.
Under such constraints, there were two acceptable female role models. The first was a woman named Shin Saimdang. She was considered to be the ideal model of a virtuous wife and a wise mother, two roles particularly important in patriarchal Chosun society. The second role model was Hwang Jini, a woman with whom the upper-class men could relax, while eating and drinking, and enjoy poems, music and nature. Nansolhon, however, as a literary poet followed neither of these role models.
Learning the Chinese classics and writing poetry was regarded as the exclusive privilege of upper-class men. Nansolhon's literary works, therefore, encroached upon their territory. Her poems spread like wildfire and quickly became a major point of gossip among urban society. Even the more progressive and practical scientists thought it not proper for a woman to chant poems. The condescendingly generous would say that Nansolhon's poems were refined but that her demeanor couldn't quite keep up with her works. Any expression of talent seems to have become an object of ridicule for women of the Chosun era.
Another reason she wasn't welcome in the mainstream of society was that she didn't raise a son. As the wife of Kim Sung-Rip, she produced no male family heir. Having no son satisfied one of the seven situations in which a husband could expel a wife.
In contrast, Shin Saimdang raised Yulgok, who would grow up to be a great Confucian scholar and statesman. Saimdang was revered as the role model for all women of Chosun, even though she enjoyed writing poems as well.
Even though her life was short, Nansolhon sowed the seeds of the feminist movement throughout Korean history. It is therefore no excess to refer to her as a pioneer of Korean feminism.

Kyung Nan-Soo, member,
Women's Hot Line, Gangneung

 

In the Footsteps of the First Korean Feminist Poets

The house of Goh Jung-Hee, a late feminist poet and the first editor-in-chief of The Women's News

Feminist organizations have been making an annual trip to her home since her death in 1991

Born in Haenam in 1948, Jung-Hee was a social activist, passionately engaged in the democratization movement, as well as the liberation of women and marginalized groups. Her writing career produced a number of poetic works. As a leading Korean feminist poet, Jung-Hee worked as the first editor-in-chief of the Women's News and was an active member of the Alternative Culture association. She was a devout Christian, and devoted her life to grassroots organisations and feminism. A mountain hiking accident on Mount Chiri in June 1991 brought an untimely death to this beloved poet.
It has been 14 years since the Alternative Culture association organized the first Goh Jung-Hee Memorial Trip to Haenam on the anniversary of her death. The group soon expanded with the influx of women who had read her poetry and young girls who didn't even know about her. The trip has become a symbolic feminine activity, transcending the regional differences and generation gap. Alternative Culture is pleased to have this year's World Women's Studies Conference participants along for the Goh Jung-Hee Memorial Trip. The participation of these international women will give deeper significance to this year's memorial, as they transcend regional and state boundaries.
The trip includes a rare performance of the¡®Jindo Ssitgimgut¡¯, a traditional shaman ritual to appease the spirit of the deceased and thereby help it have a peaceful eternal rest in the next world. This ritual is a valuable piece of women's cultural heritage, through which the remorse and suffering of women can be transformed. We will visit Goh Jung-Hee's house and the nearby grave in her hometown of Haenam. A replica of her writing desk sits in her study. We will listen to other female poets who shared literary activities with her, giving us a glimpse into her artistic soul. We will have the hands-on opportunity to learn a traditional cloth-dyeing technique at the historic temple of Mihwangsa.
In the evening, we will gather for a great celebration of feminism and social equality with the other participants. For dinner, the traditional ¡®southern full course meal¡¯ will be served, a feast for both the eyes and the palate. The Goh Jung-Hee Memorial Trip will be the final cap to your stay in Korea, providing a time to share our sisterly love and world solidarity.
Choi Yi Yunjung, Secretary General, Alternative Culture

 

Gangneung, a historical treasure house surrounded by mountains and the sea: Kyungpodae, Ojukhon and Sonkyojang

The majestic Mount Sorak and the blue waves of Korea's eastern sea have blessed the city of Gangneung with a long history and a hearty culture. Kyungpodae, a location near the city, is renowned for its annual ¡°Greet the Sunrise Festival¡± held every New Year's Day next to Lake Kyungpo.
Kyungpo can be translated as ¡°clear and transparent like a mirror¡±. Poets claim that four moons rise over Lake Kyungpo: one in the sky, one reflected in the ocean, a third reflected in the lake and a final moon reflected in the glass of the person who enjoys a toast in the moonlit night. Encircling the lakeshore are 12 bowers, or copses of trees, from which panoramic shots of the lake can be taken.
Ojukhon is the historic birth house of Yulgok Yiyi, an archetypal Confucian scholar of the Chosun era. His mother, the artist Shin Saimdang, is considered to be the archetypal virtuous wife and wise mother. The name Ojukhon comes from the unusual black bamboo that grows in the vicinity.
Another attraction is Sonkyojang, a replica upper-class house of the Chosun Dynasty. The luxurious house covers 99 kan, a traditional unit for measuring area, and gives the modern viewer a glimpse of the life of a late Chosun era lord.
In terms of cuisine, Gangneung is famous for a type of specialty tofu, called Chodang. The unique fermenting process and preparation method-it's made using the seawater as brine-contributes to the preservation of its naturally mild flavor. When used in a soup, it is particularly delicious.

 

Haenam, a ¡°Land's End¡± village: Mt Dharma, Mihwang Temple and a Golden Spring

The road to ¡°Land's End¡± at Haenam, Jeonnam province, stretches parallel to a mountain range that takes the traveler toward Mount Dharma (489m, 1'604ft).
Mihwang Temple is said to have been built in 749 by the Most Venerable Uijo. A golden man appeared in his dream and told him to build a temple where a cow lay and didn't stand again. Uijo obeyed the revelation by building Tongkyo Temple where the cow first lay down and then Mihwang where the cow finally lay down. The size and elaborate craftsmanship of the temple's main hall, Daeungjon, inspire awe in the devout and laymen alike. Carved into its four foundation stones are unique classical inscriptions symbolizing fish, crabs and octopus. A leisurely walk past the Daeungjon leads to the Budojon, a shrine in which stand 27 relic stupas of the great monks of yore. The relief carvings of crabs, cranes, turtles and squirrels on the stone stupas provide a visual feast.
A short hike toward Munbawijae, one of the peaks that make up Mount Dharma, leads to a natural spring that gushes from a monumental stone facade. It is called the Golden Spring, or Keumsaem, since it reflects the brilliant golden-fingered dawn of the morning sun.
The village of Haenam is particularly famous for its dried seaweed. It is produced on seaweed farms using uncontaminated ocean water. Jade carvings are another specialty of the area, as the nearby Okmaesan is famous for its good-quality jade quarry.

 

Toward An International Sisterhood

The following is the key address given at the opening ceremony of the 9th International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women on Monday, June 20, 2005, in Seoul, Korea

Dear global sisters,
I cordially welcome you to the 9th International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women(IICW). I hope we will all share our new visions for women across the world, consolidate our global sisterhood, ¡°Embrace the Earth¡± and generate long-lasting returns from this congress.
Korean women are very proud to be hosting the IICW in Seoul this year. We are at a turning point in the development of women's studies, particularly here in Korea. As a result of our efforts, a more gender-equal culture is slowly developing across Korean society. This year, we saw the abolition of the degrading Hoju system, whereby each family had a head and it was always male. We also saw the formation of the Ministry of Gender Equality & Family, a subtle but critical change. We are now moving toward a new paradigm of women's studies and feminist activities. In this context, it is very meaningful and pleasing for us to share this event with our global sisters.
Only in 1974 did Korea see its first women's social education program, at the Christian Academy, a progressive institute for social education. After this late beginning, Ewha University offered a women's study course in 1977 and it then established its Department of Women's Studies within the Graduate Faculty in 1982. With the creation of the Korean Association of Women's Studies in 1984, women's studies began to quickly take off. Based on a practical philosophy, women's studies here have contributed to the general development of democracy and gender equality. This philosophy has since become more and more the norm in academic circles, working places, policy-making bodies and social groups.
As the most representative feminist publication in Korea, The Women's News has been closely linked with the Korean women's movement. Many female leaders have been actively involved in The Women's News during its 17-year publishing history.
Its mission is based principally on the feminist tradition: to see with the eyes of a woman, to think with the mind of a woman, to speak with the mouth of a woman. Many feminist movements across the globe have been brought to the public's attention through the pages of The Women's News. In three years' time, The Women's News will celebrate its 20th anniversary. It is now ready to become the global eyes, ears and mouth for women of the world.

 

About the Women's News

We at the Women¡¯s News represent the hope and the will of all those who are working together to build a gender-equal society

Publicly listed in 1988, the Women's News was the first national weekly to represent a female point of view on various social matters. The Women's News has since become the most influential publication among Korean press on issues concerning gender and equality. We have 19 offices nationwide and a weekly circulation of 240,000.

¡°The creation of the Women's News is a critical social turning point. Women can now publicly and officially express their voice across Korean society.¡± So said Lee In-Ho, who later became the first female Korean ambassador in our nation's history. She was speaking at the newspaper's launch, on October 28, 1988. The Women's News was the first Korean periodical to represent women's interests. Over the past 17 years, the Women's News has become Korea's leading feminist journal and the strongest supporter of gender and social equality.
The Women's News was founded by 1000 visionaries who pooled their resources to create a voice for gender equality. These promoters and shareholders came from diverse backgrounds, including university students, homemakers and community & business leaders.
A good number of these visionaries have since become prominent leaders of Korean society. Han Myung-Sook was the first Minister of Gender Equality and Chi Eun-Hee was the second. In the 17th national assembly, Kim Ae-Sil, Kim Hee-Sun and Lee Mi-Kyung were the chairpersons for the Committee on Women Affairs, the Committee on Government Affairs and the Committee on Culture & Tourism, respectively. Finally, Chang Pil-Hwa was the chief organizer for the 9th International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women. In the light of these successes, it is clear that the creation of the Women's News reflects the requirements of our time and the progress of our society.
The Women's News has campaigned unceasingly for the modification of unfair family law clauses, in particular for the abolishment of the Hoju system, whereby every family had a head and it was always the husband. The paper has highlighted the violation of human rights due to sexual violence and family violence. It has supported female senior citizens' in the case of a sunset divorce, when an elderly couple gets divorced. It has championed the childcare rights of unmarried mothers and it has fought for the human rights of disabled women who are victims of sexual violence.
Furthermore, the Women's News has made every effort to promote the protection of human rights across all facts of society. For example, it sponsors programs for victims of sexual and family violence that are organized and operated by the women themselves. Through such campaigns, the power of female solidarity has been shown.
In order to strengthen women's position in politics and public administration, the Women's News also encourages and sponsors female candidates for both provincial and national elections. In collaboration with other women's organizations, it launched a television debate between the 1997 presidential candidates to discuss policies for gender equality and women's rights. Such social issue debates have since become the norm for all presidential elections. The newspaper has also persistently investigated the policy stance of both national and provincial administrators, to shed light on any illegal or unequal law or policy.
On the occasion of the United Nations' International Year of the Family in 1994, the Women's News and the Korean government jointly launched the Equal Couple Prize. This yearly prize promotes the concept of equality between Korean marriage partners, for newlyweds and the elderly alike. In 1998, the ¡°21st Century Women's Media Network¡± was launched. This association of mostly female journalists promotes a mass media culture based on gender equality. It awards prizes to journalists who contribute to the development of social and gender equality. To cultivate leaders for the future, the Women's New also selects its yearly ¡°Future Female Leaders¡± candidates, based on recommendations from leading female politicians, professors, managers and other prominent women in society.
The Women's News organizes many other events to promote gender and social equality in mass culture. The ¡°Female Marathon Game¡± has become the biggest women/family event in Korea, with over 10,000 participants every year. Also, the highly successful ¡°10,000 Female Leaders' Concert¡± was organized for the first time in November 2004. Quite simply, it encourages female leadership and solidarity.
As we move forward into the 21st century, the Women's News will continue in its efforts to promote gender equality across all facts of Korean politics and society. It will offer counterproposals and solutions to our low birth rate and our ageing society. It will work for a more caring attitude toward the labor force. It will strive toward improving women's economic position. It will promote female leadership and a win-win male/female partnership. It will push for international female solidarity and it will draw attention to the ever-diversifying differences between the top and bottom ranges of society.
To mark its 15th anniversary in 2003, the Women's News changed from its previous tabloid format to a broadsheet format. Containing more than 23 pages weekly, it is published in modern Korean and is available every morning at newsstands across Seoul. As mentioned above, the Women's News has a weekly circulation of over 240,000 and we have 19 branch offices across the country.
For more information, please visit our website at www.womennews.co.kr.