Since the establishment of the Government of South Korea on August 1948, the Ministry of Social Issues handled discrimination against women until the department's merge in 1955. Afterwards, the Ministry of Social Issues merged with the Ministry of Health to become the Ministry of Social Issues and Health. In 1994, the Ministry of Social Issues and Health became the Ministry of Health and Welfare ; consequently, it began to take address discrimination against women. However, the ministries were criticized for the lack of advancement for women's social position and the lack of enforcement of its policies. Specific policies addressing sexism began to be addressed with the establishment of the Department heading state affairs on February 25, 1998. On February 28, 1998, the Presidential Commission on Women's Affairs was formed under President Kim Dae-jung. On July 23, 1999, the Law forbidding and regulating sexual discrimination was created. However, the criticism concerning the lack of advancement in women's social position continued, and the Ministry of Gender Equality was formed as a response on January 29, 2001. It was transferred following responsibilities: protecting the victims of domestic violence and sexual violence; prevention of prostitution; overseeing women's occupations from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
Developments
On June 12, 2004, the ministry received the responsibilities of overseeing developments of infants from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. On June 23, 2005, the ministry reorganized to become the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in order for a more cohesive creation and enforcement of policies. On February 29, 2008, the ministry was changed back to the Ministry of Gender Equality while transferring the responsibilities of overseeing families and child care to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which had become the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs. On March 19, 2010, the Ministry was re-reorganized to become the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family while assuming back the responsibilities of overseeing teenagers, and families.
Organization
Objectives
According to the , the objectives of the ministry are:
Planning and coordination of women's policy, and improvement of women's status through the enhancement of women's rights
Establishment, conciliation, and support for family policy and multicultural family policy
Preventing domestic and sexual violence and protecting its victims
Forging partnership with women's civil groups and international organizations
Sub-Organization
The Ministry is headed by a cabinet minister, and is organized with a Vice Minister who acts as a policy adviser to the minister and a Spokesperson. The Vice Minister controls the following divisions: the Management Supporting Division; Planning & Coordination Office; Women's Policy Bureau; Youth & Family Policy Office; Women & Youth Rights Promotion Bureau. The Spokesperson is in charge of the Public Relations Division.
Controversy
MOGEF has been historically criticized for the involvement of the wordWomen in its name, which had led to charges of taking a side in the issue of gender inequality and reverse discrimination. The ministry has been involved in several controversies, which has led to a movement calling for its abolishment in 2006, 2008, and 2013. On 2006, the MOGEF established a policy to pay men not to hire prostitutes on men's New Year's Day parties. Men were told to sign up on the website with their national identification number, and the total budget was 3,600,000 Won. This led to a signing movement to abolish the ministry. On November 2011, the ministry enforced a System of forced shutdown of teenage gaming, which has been involved in heavy controversy. The law has been criticized as being ineffective, encouraging teenagers to commit the crime of using their parents' resident registration number, and restricting the production of domestic games.
