South Korea’s lack of minority protections jeopardizes its global reputation



Opinion South Korea’s lack of minority protections jeopardizes its global reputation Older men who dominate politics ignore equality and representation, even as Yoon tries to raise Korea’s global profile Jumin LeeAugust 10, 2022 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Pride flag being carried out at the 2022 Seoul Queer Culture Festival, July 2022 \| Image: Seoul Queer Culture Festival When U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited South Korea’s national bank in July, one of the top items on her agenda was a town hall event with the Bank of Korea’s (BOK) female employees, reportedly prepared at her request. Why Yellen — the only woman in her economics Ph.D. class at Yale — chose to meet separately with Korean women in public service should be obvious: BOK Governor Rhee Chang-yong is a man, as were all 26 of his predecessors. Among 976 cabinet-level peers appointed across the ROK’s 74-year history, only 59 (6.36%) were women. The highest levels of public © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Trump’s Cheongung social media post tests Seoul’s refusal to arm to Ukraine 02Lee Jae Myung risks public trust as South Korea rewires its justice system 03South Korea turns to Central Asia as Iran war tests its energy resilience 04Houthi seizure of Mokha sharpens South Korea’s Hormuz deployment dilemma 05Japan’s stronger yen may cut Korea’s import bill while raising funding costs 06South Korea leans on Europe as Hormuz deployment choices grow narrower 07Hanwha’s Austal bid shows where South Korea’s MASGA plan may be heading 08China’s Taiwan pressure may reveal more disciplined strategy toward South Korea

Opinion

South Korea’s lack of minority protections jeopardizes its global reputation

Older men who dominate politics ignore equality and representation, even as Yoon tries to raise Korea’s global profile

Jumin LeeAugust 10, 2022

South Korea’s lack of minority protections jeopardizes its global reputation

Pride flag being carried out at the 2022 Seoul Queer Culture Festival, July 2022 | Image: Seoul Queer Culture Festival

When U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited South Korea’s national bank in July, one of the top items on her agenda was a town hall event with the Bank of Korea’s (BOK) female employees, reportedly prepared at her request.

Why Yellen — the only woman in her economics Ph.D. class at Yale — chose to meet separately with Korean women in public service should be obvious: BOK Governor Rhee Chang-yong is a man, as were all 26 of his predecessors. Among 976 cabinet-level peers appointed across the ROK’s 74-year history, only 59 (6.36%) were women.

The highest levels of public

LATEST ANALYSIS

01Trump’s Cheongung social media post tests Seoul’s refusal to arm to Ukraine
02Lee Jae Myung risks public trust as South Korea rewires its justice system
03South Korea turns to Central Asia as Iran war tests its energy resilience
04Houthi seizure of Mokha sharpens South Korea’s Hormuz deployment dilemma
05Japan’s stronger yen may cut Korea’s import bill while raising funding costs
06South Korea leans on Europe as Hormuz deployment choices grow narrower
07Hanwha’s Austal bid shows where South Korea’s MASGA plan may be heading
08China’s Taiwan pressure may reveal more disciplined strategy toward South Korea

South Korea’s lack of minority protections jeopardizes its global reputation

LATEST ANALYSIS

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Jumin Lee