Lee: "Gender equality policies regressed under previous administration... now restored to where they should be"

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According to The Financial News, President Lee Jae-myung marked International Women's Day on the 8th by stating, "We went through a period in which gender equality policies were scaled back and rolled back under the previous administration," adding, "We will now reverse that trend and restore gender equality policies to where they should be." He stressed, "We will move toward a society where differences do not turn into discrimination and where being different is not a reason for exclusion."
In a message posted on X (formerly Twitter) the same day, President Lee wrote, "Every year on this day, I reflect on the arduous steps taken by those who have worked to advance women's human rights, and I am reminded once again of the gender equality tasks facing our society."
He continued, "This year's International Women's Day, the first since the impeachment, carries an especially profound meaning," and added, "I was also pleased to hear that the women who stood together in the public squares in 2024 to overcome the crisis of insurrection have received the 'Women’s Movement of the Year Award' from Korean Women's Associations United (KWAU)."
He went on to say, "We are now reversing that trend, restoring gender equality policies to their proper place, filling in the gaps of the past, and taking step by step toward a truly gender-equal society." He pledged, "We will surely build a community where everyone can live safely and with dignity," and added, "I will fully carry out the role and responsibility entrusted to me so that the Republic of Korea (South Korea) can be reborn as a genuinely gender-equal nation."
Citing the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK), President Lee noted, "In our country, women activists such as Na Hye-seok and Park In-deok began commemorating International Women's Day in the 1920s, but this tradition was cut off under Japanese colonial repression. It is said that official commemorations resumed with the first Korean Women's Conference in 1985."
President Lee added, "The 2026 theme set by the International Women's Day Organizing Committee (IWD Organizing Committee) is 'Give To Gain (#GiveToGain),'" and expressed his hope that "the fruits of gender equality will permeate the lives of all people in the Republic of Korea (South Korea), across women and men, generations and social classes alike."
west@fnnews.com Reporter Sung Seok-woo Reporter