One of the most heated pledges South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol made on the campaign trail was to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF). While his transition committee appeared to walk back that pledge after Yoon’s election win, the new president’s commitment to gender equality and representation remains unconvincing. 

But South Korea cannot become the “global pivotal state” Yoon has promised without addressing the massive economic and social challenges that half of the country faces every day. In nearly every measurable way, South Korea ranks at or near the bottom in terms of gender equality in the developed world.