Han Myung-sook : The Minister
"Discriminatory policies have been revoked - but discriminatory practices still remain. "
By Joanne Lee and Andy Salmon
American Chamber of Commerce in Korea
Journal, May/April 2001For millennia, the voice of women in Korea has been subdued. However, there is one figure on today's political landscape who is standing up and raising her voice. That voice belongs to Han Myung-sook - and it has been heard pretty widely. It has echoed inside a jail cell - she was a prisoner of conscience from 1979-81. It has lectured from podiums around the world - she has been a scholar at various universities including Seoul's Ewha Woman's University and New York's Union Theological Seminary. And more latterly, it has been raised in Korea's National Assembly - to which body she was elected in 2000.
Currently, Ms. Han is Minister of Gender Equality - a position in which she is addressing the issues pertinent to Korea's female population. With a strong background in moral academia (Literature; Theology; Women's Studies) she is suitably qualified for this position - but those expecting a fire- and-brimstone feminist radical will be disappointed.
In person, she is softly spoken - she speaks excellent English -and charming, immediately putting visitors at ease. She has a frank manner and a ready grin; her eyes are shrewd but kind. She is the opposite of the common conception of a Minister; there is no trace of haughtiness, and she answered all questions; how many politicians could say the same?
But there is steel inside the velvet. She is obviously possessed of a strong intellect and considerable energy -and naturally has a firm grasp of the issues. She is a good friend to the Chamber (she was one of two elected politicians to attend the PFF 2000 Job Fair) and recently granted the Journal an interview. Some excerpts:
"In Korea, 48% of the economically active population is female, and Korea has one of the highest levels in the world of women in higher education. But only 17% of the workforce are female graduates – so that is a major gap. (During the restructuring process of recent years) women have been the first to be laid off- not for any due cause, but simply because they are women. The 21st Century, though, will not be a power-based society -with the New Economy, it will be a knowledge-based society. Currently, women are well represented in the venture industry, the media, and the cultural industries. Previously, they were most heavily represented in the service sector -so women today have a brighter future.
Politics? (laughs) South Korean women are seriously underrepresented in politics! At the annual Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting, we discovered that the DPRK ranks 2lst in the world (in terms of the numbers of women in political positions); the ROK is in 80th place. Worldwide, female political representation makes up 13.8%; for the ROK the r figure is 6.2%. Since I entered Parliament, the number has dropped to 5.9%. So this issue is the biggest task facing the Ministry.
In Korea, women face various obstacles. In the Confucian social sphere, women were expected to serve their husbands and their children; this attitude still exists in the Korea mind set. "Women should stay at home" - that is another very common attitude, one which remains in the minds of businessmen, politicians - even fathers. In the past these weren't just perceptions - we also had policies supporting this attitude. If you got married - or if you got pregnant - you were expected to leave the workforce. These policies have been revoked, but if you have a child, even now, it's hard for the mother to work - so now we don't have the policies, but the practices still remain. This leads to divorce; our divorce rate is very high now: one in three. There is also an increase in singles.
Family constraints are also serious. (Speaking for myself) sometimes, I wish I hadn't married. It is OK for me now, but the process up to this stage was very difficult, especially during the period when my son was in High School. Now my son is a little older, and my husband is supportive, so it is easier. My own success? I put it down to hard work. If you work your hardest to be the best - that's the key. We (women) need to change our attitude - “Can I do this even though I am a woman?" Positive thinking is key.
There are still specific obstacles to working women. The main ones are: Child Care – this is the biggest concern. Sexual harassment in the workplace - this causes many women to have low self-esteem. Promotion opportunities are frequently withheld, and in hiring practices, there is a lack of career paths for educated women. So (bearing these problems in mind) it is essential to introduce affirmative action programs.
This Ministry was established by the current administration, with the backing of the President, on January 29th (previously it was the Presidential Commission on Women’s Affairs). Now we are working on policies – for example, we have suggested a system where 30% of ministerial committee appointments should be female. But of course, implementation is the problem. It will take time to change minds. So we are working hard on education, providing sexual harassment seminars to both the public and private sectors, for example.
Personally, I am still worried about layoffs for women and the paucity of careers - rather than just jobs - for female graduates. I also want to focus on the housewives -the "ajumah" (laughs) - they have the potential, but they don't know it. We have to awaken it! More education needed on sexual harassment, My personal priority is child-care. In this compound (comprising the Ministry Finance and Planning, the Ministry of Gender Equality and the National Library) there is no child-care facility working mothers. So we are working with the Health and Welfare Ministry to provide crèches* throughout the public sector.
Finally, I would like to say that- although we don't have any breakdowns of the numbers involved - more women should be involved in the RQK-DPRK reconciliation process. At present, there are too many men in dark suits (laughs). All dark! Let's add a dash of color to the process!”
* day nurseries
