The system of pre-election contesting for party nomination - adopted by both the ruling and opposition parties in preparation for the upcoming local elections on the pretext of establishing grassroots democracy - is becoming a stumbling block to the political empowerment of women. Four candidates fo

Ms. Lee Seon Woo, who had been denied a professorship because of her physical disability, had finally become a university professor. Lee Seong Jae, representative of the Institute for the Rights of the Disabled, had petitioned her case at the National Human Rights Commission. Thus on April 30, the C

As Korean artist Na Hye Seoks works began to receive more critical acclaim in recent years, not a few fakes have appeared on the artistic scene, giving rise to an intensifying genuine or fake debate.The debate was launched in earnest by Kyungwon University professor Yoon Bum Mo at the 5th Symposium

A considerable number of foreign visitors to Korea experience discrimination from Koreans, but the Koreans are not even fully aware of this. This calls for changes in the Korean peoples awareness. With the World Cup just around the corner, the Korean government is busy preparing to accommodate touri

The Women's News and 4th Women Film Festival Committee has been selecting recipients every year for The Women's News Award, given to deserving individuals or groups that have put feminism into practice through film. This year, the award went to director Park Ok Soon, head of the filmmaking g

On April 9, Japan's Ministry of Education and Science authorized a high school history textbook entitled (published by Myongsongsa). The textbook has no mention of the countless women who were drafted as sex slaves by the Japanese military during its imperialist expansion, once again sparking of

The women policies implemented by the People's Government in the past four years have turned from 'slogans to practice.' Now the remaining task is to come up with concrete measures that will make these policies 'touch lives.'During the 'Women Policies Seminar' organized b

The Korean Peninsula has yet to break free from the threat of war, what with the theory of "a 2003 Korea Crisis" currently shaking up society. The year 2003 is the deadline for the completion of light-water reactors promised to North Korea, and also the year when North Korea will have to open up its

"It's impossible to completely wipe out prostitution anyway.""Won't licensing prostitution lead to more of it?"The debate over licensed prostitution, which had died down after the fire in Gunsan red light district, has sputtered back to life, tensing up women groups once more.It started out

In the midst of Japanese imperialist forces that are, together with the US, encroaching on global economy and culture, the following incident makes Korean feminists think again about what we are demanding of the Japanese government.It was during my second year as a novice of Maryknoll Convent. (The

Recently, a monthly magazine published an article by a feminist claiming that "supporting Park Geun Hye is the progressive thing to do." Her claim has triggered a "Park Geun Hye controversy," with those for and against the claim producing counterarguments against each other.Park Geun Hye officially

In preparation for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan and the Busan Asian Games, the government has recently come up with comprehensive measures against illegal immigration and plans to revise the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act. However, such measures have come under fire for having no b

‘Citizens’ Group for Comfort Women’ surveys Korean and Japanese studentsSome 20% feel that “Japan’s colonization of Korea was for the best”More than half the Japanese students surveyed replied that they were unaware of important facts in the history of Korea-Japan relations such as the Japanese inva

“Women in prostitution have a silent language. Their words will surface no matter what. The prelude has already started in their protest against excessive police crack down, and their resistance will not be limited to a specific area but spread throughout our lives.”Hansori Society (representatives

“It can be easily deduced that repeated suggestions and persuasion by mid-level management to quit one’s job will put one in a state of despair, where one believes there is no choice, even if one continues to resist… Thus the act of leaving a worker no choice but to write and submit a resignation ag

There was another case recently of a woman who killed her husband to escape from more than 10 years of ‘battery followed by forced sex,’ once again putting the issue of rape between spouses on the women groups’ agenda. Ahn, who lives in Ulsan, had been the brunt of her husband’s physical, verbal and

"Three years of chairing the executive committee of the 'Civic group for the establishment of a governmental human rights body' has taught me that we cannot expect to advance women's rights unless society's overall human rights record improves. I will do my best to retain my identity

Women's passion for peaceAmidst heightened tension and sense of crisis on the Korean peninsula thanks to US President Bush's much-reported comment about 'the axis of evil,' Korean women are raising their voices for peace. Several civic groups including women groups such as Women Maki

Women's passion for peaceAmidst heightened tension and sense of crisis on the Korean peninsula thanks to US President Bush's much-reported comment about 'the axis of evil,' Korean women are raising their voices for peace. Several civic groups including women groups such as Women Maki

Women resurrected through sisterly loveThe funeral commemorating the 14 victims of the fire in the red light district of Gunsan on January 29 was held at the site of the accident on February 8. It was a 'feminist funeral,' the first of its kind in Korea. On the same day, women activists incl