WOMEN & POLITICS

THE KOREAN INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN & POLITICS

March 2003

KIWP was established in 1989 with the aims of heightening women's political consciousness and expanding political participation. Since that time, KIWP has worked relentlessly to accomplish those objectives, both domestically and in the international arena, through a broad range of programs and undertaking. Such have included both academic and more pragmatically oriented workshops and seminars and the publication of material designed to promote strategies in support of women candidates in the electoral process. We pride ourselves on our determination and commitment to these goals and our resolve to maintain such posture until such time as genuine equality exists in the political realm.

Contents:

* Message from the Chairperson/Dr. Jung-sook KIM

* Special Column

* KIWP Major Events of 2002

* Future Activities in 2003

Political Reform and Women's Political Participation

Jung-Sook KIM

Chairperson of KIWP/Member of the National Assembly

As the hope of Korean people for political reform has heightened these days, the process of political reform within the Korean political parties and political circles is in the peak. In this reform process, what we should not overlook is the increase of women's participation in politics. I am sure that the main subject of the Korean politics in future will be 'women's politics'. Also, in the 17th General Election in 2004, it will be the biggest issue how the capability of Korean women will be connected to their political participation.

However, our road to the expansion of women's political participation is rough and difficult in reality. Although more than a half of the total voters are women, the percentages of women's representation among the members of the National Assembly (5.9%, 16 women of 273 members), the heads of metropolitan governments (0%, 0 of 16), the heads of district authorities (0.8%, 2 out of 232), the members of metropolitan councils (9.2%, 63 of 682) and the members of district councils (2.2%, 77 of 3,485) reflects well how difficult it is for Korean women to participate in real politics.

Securing women's representation in politics through politics-related laws and within the election system is common across the world. So it is in the nomination process of political parties. In most politically developed countries in Europe where women's political participation is active, the quota system for enhancing women's political participation (for example, 40% in the U.K., 50% in Germany, 50% in France and 40% in Sweden) has been carried out at the national level or within the political parties. Now, we must also establish an institutional arrangement to put the quota system in practice.

First of all, the public pledge of the quota system - allocating 30% to women in nominating constituency candidates for the General Election and 50% to women in the Proportional Representation System - promised by all candidates in the last Presidential Election should be kept and realized. Therefore, it is urgent to amend the Political Party Act to make it possible the 50% allocation to women in the Proportional Representation System, and it is necessary to examine elaborate strategies for advancing more women to local constituencies as candidates. Specifically, we argue  the proportion of women's participation in the nomination screening body and other various committees of political parties should be more than 30%;  in the primary elections of constituency candidates for the General Election, a kind of incentive system for female candidates and the multiple nomination including female candidates should be enforced; when each party organizes representative bodies, such as district party chapters, city and province chapters, representatives of the party convention and the electoral college, it should allocate 50% of the seats to women; and  the Election Act should be amended in order to collect a political fund for supporting women candidates within and beyond the political parties.

Now, we should gather specific knowledge and power to find out how to carry through the enhancement plans of women's political participation within the reform programs of each party and of the new Korean Government. In order to do so, we have to strengthen solidarity and collective actions amongst women's organizations for women to emerge as a politically powerful group. Furthermore, we ought to cultivate new women politicians by searching and training capable women candidates.

A true reform in politics and political parties is possible only when women's political participation is expanded. This is the royal road to a gender-equal and democratic society where each societal member has equal rights and responsibilities. From now on, women themselves should recognize that women are not passive objects or beneficiaries of politics, but political actors given equal rights and responsibilities. Let's participate in and lead the political reform process, and make the wisdom and ability of Korean women a power source for political and social development in Korea. Further, in the wave of political reform and party reform, we should not become the victims but unite together so as to increase women's political participation.

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- Special Column -

Hope for Gender Policies of the New Government

In-Ho LEE

President of Korea Foundation/Former Ambassador to Russia

Women should be able to enjoy the same rights guaranteed in the Constitution as Korean citizens as men do. Therefore, the state has a duty to apply legal and administrative restraint on the actions which encroach on women's basic human rights and citizen rights, and ought to prepare active and specific measures to secure such rights.

In the perspective of human resource development, gender issues are directly related to the issue of international competitiveness of the state. Although Korean women's advance into society has rapidly increased, they still have many limitations preventing them from working efficiently outside home and suffer various kinds of discrimination and even oppression in society. Especially, regarding the utilization of educated and skilled women-power, we are at the same level as Canada or Scandinavian countries reached 30 years ago. Unless women's intelligence or their wisdom springing from everyday experiences is properly used for the management of the state, we do not have any possibility to have and keep international competitiveness.

It is the regulation of sexual violence and prostitution that the new Government, which aims to focus on human rights, should deal with urgently. It may be impossible to eradicate prostitution overnight which is as old as human history. However, the new Government should show a strong will that it never tolerates the practices of kidnapping, confining and forcing girls under legal age into prostitution. The next urgent matter for the new Government is to expand daycare facilities and improve the nursery system. It is still a dominant view in Korean that the problem of child rearing which arises from women's advancement into society should be solved at the family level. Nonetheless, the reality that Korea has the second or third highest divorce rate in the world tells us that solving the child rearing problems at the family level is a fantasy and that we need urgent solutions at the social and public level. In this regard, it is realistic to consider that a free nursery program can be an objective but it would not be able to be achieved until the lowest limit of the social security system is raised.

Along with tackling these basic matters, what the new Government needs to promote through the legislative process is to stimulate vigorous lawmaking activities to prohibit gender discrimination and encourage women's advancement into the decision-making positions. Now, it is time to prepare laws which make it compulsory to employ both men and women in balance at the public sector, from public offices to universities and to research institutes.

The Ministry of Gender Equality plays a key role to establish constructive gender policies, despite the situations that social prejudices, practices and systems hindering women's participation in society have been deeply rooted in the Korean society. However, compared to other ministries, the Ministry of Gender Equality is weak in terms of the amount of the budget and the degree of executive power, so it has the difficulty to put real influence on gender issues. This is another pending problem the new Government needs to work out.

Finally, I would like to suggest the new Government to consider the re-appointment of the former women ministers who have proved to be better qualified than other male ministers, in order to encourage women, break down gender prejudices, and improve the transparency of the government.

The most effective way to test the 'progressiveness'of progressionists is to observe their attitudes and position toward gender issues. Those who have been progressive in labor issues and unification issues often show digressive and conservative views before gender issues. I sincerely hope that the new Roh Moo-Hyun Administration, which has differentiated itself from the previous administrations in terms of progressiveness, will pass this kind of test well.

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KIWP Major Events of 2002

1. KIWP 13th Anniversary Symposium

KIWP held a Symposium with the theme "Local Election of June 13th and Women", in celebration of its 13th anniversary at Cosmos Hall in 63 Building on July 2, 2002.  The first part was dedicated to the reporting of monitors who participated in the June 13th local election, and the second part was a discussion session, evaluating the results of the election and discussing tasks and strategies for expanding women's political participation in future elections. Under the presidency of  Professor  Ki-Suk CHO (Ewha Woman's University Graduate School of International Studies), Professor Te-Sok OHM (Studies in Politics and Administration, Seowon University) made a presentation, followed by discussions from Myong-Sook KIM (Member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council), Min-Jung KIM (Professor in International Studies, University of Seoul), Jung-Sook KIM (Chairperson of KIWP, Member of National Assembly), Choon-Ho PARK (Member of the Gangnam District Council), Seon-Mok YOO (Member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council), and Hyun-Ok CHO (President of Korea Women's Politics Solidarity).

2. 142 Women Elected from June 13 Local Election

The local election of last June produced a total of 142 women elects. This was a higher rate compared to previous elections, but still too low to ensure women's representation in politics.  None has been elected as heads of metropolitan governments, and only 0.8% has been elected as heads of district authorities(2 among 232), 9.2% as metropolitan council members(63 among 682), and 2.2% as district council members (77 among 3,485).  Nonetheless, it is quite encouraging to see that among the 73 elected in proportional representation nominations, 49 were women, thanks to the amendment of Political Related Act recommending 50% allocation of seats to women.

A large number of qualified women have lost in this election however, attributing to the system of electoral nomination by primary competition at the district party chapters.  This is because most women candidates are not able to win over as many votes as male candidates, due to their financial and organizational disadvantages. Therefore, in order to avoid this consequence again, the final nomination screening should be done at the party headquarter level through cross-gender multiple nomination when there are women candidates, without going through the primary competition at the district level. Furthermore, women should be placed in more than 30% of  this nomination screening committee at the party headquarter.

Looking forward to the general election in 2004, we must continue with our discussion for expansion of women's political participation and its related legislation and amendments.  All women leaders and women organizations should cooperate in implementing within this year, the legislative acts giving 30% allocation of  local district seats and 50% of proportional representation nominations to women.

The KIWP has conducted an interview by email with Ms. Ok-Kyung HUH, Head of Busan Haeundae District, among the elected, as following:

▷ What made you interested in politics and what motivated you to run for the district?

Having a degree in biogenetics, I had my ambition in contributing to the development of industrial high technology through participating in environmental-related policy- making at a governmental level. I started out as a researcher in an environmental policy bureau under Busan Metropolitan City, which enabled me to learn much about the city's administration and to engage in legislation and implementation of comprehensive policies in this regard. Based on this background and experience, I was nominated for the Haeundae District in the June 13 local election.

▷ What was most difficult for you during the whole election process?

People's first-hand rejection during the nomination and at the beginning of campaign, based on prejudice against women. They were not interested in finding out who I was, but instead expressed their uncertainty with women candidates in general. However, this was eased out to some extent while meeting them in person with other candidates.

▷ Tell us about the importance of expanding the women's political participation in local election and your view on female candidates' roles in this respect.

There are numerous reasons why women's political participation should be expanded, a few of which can be stressed here:

First, it is to promote a transparent society, since women are known to manage every matter in a more transparent and fair way, disregarding the connections from geographical origin or graduated school.

Second, women can run the organization economically and are good at collecting residents' opinions.  Being both diligent and detail-oriented, women take better care of all little aspects of running the district, and using the feminine side of friendliness, they can hear the needs of the residents and bring in their views and suggestions on board.

Third, women can enhance national competence. Utilizing highly qualified women resources, which had been lying dormant for centuries, can strengthen the competitive power of the whole nation.

▷ What are some of the projects you wish to accomplish during your term, and do you have any plan for women's policy?

As a person elected by the residents of this district, my foremost responsibility is to bring about development in this region. I would like Haeundae to have a good infrastructure as a city of both business and tourism. Also, I would like to build it as a city of ecology, by creating a cleaner and greener environment using projects such as street planting, park-formation, and environmental restoration.  I want to make this city a place where people want to live and can find attractive regional culture within.

With regards to women's issues, I plan to organize a 'Women's Plaza', where I can gather the force of housewives.

▷ What is your political or life philosophy?

It is to make a 'sustainable' society: a society where people are equally participating to make environmentally sound economic development and a society founded upon a healthy social structure. I abide by the saying, "Heaven helps only those who help themselves".

▷ What message would you like to give to other women who are preparing to enter into politics?

I want to tell them to increase their competitiveness. To ensure that you are the person that the society needs, you must develop the capacity and qualification for it and carefully manage the career. Only when you are ready to compete with competent men in the world, can you develop persuasive power in the long-run race. Then challenge the society with a big courage, put your steadfast beliefs into action with determined force.  Finally, think strategically before taking any action. Know that there are yet many hurdles for women to overcome in political participation.

3. Monitoring in June 13 Local Election

KIWP has organized its third project of "Monitoring in June 13 Local Election", funded by Seoul City's Promotional Fund for Development of Women, reporting and monitoring the campaign of women candidates in each electoral district during the period.

40 students have been chosen across the Seoul region, both male and female university students in undergraduate and graduate schools, as "June 13 Local Election Monitor".  Having received orientation on May 18, these monitors actively participated in making coverage and monitoring of women candidates and their activities from the date of their registration to June 13 election day.  Their evaluations have been reported on June 22 Seminar held at Korean Women's Development Institute Building and also at July 2 Symposium in 63 Building. These two occasions provided opportunities for them to share their experience and general evaluation on the whole election campaign process, along with suggestions for the future, all of which are captured in a printed booklet.

4. 2002 Presidential Election and Women

In order to foster discussion on current administration's women policies and future directions, in the face of 2002 presidential election, Korea Women and Politics Association hosted a forum on "2002 Presidential Election and Women" on September 9, 2002 at the Korea Press Foundation.

Under Professor Young-Ae LEE(Dankook University)'s presiding, Won-Hong KIM (Researcher Fellow of Korean Women's Development Institute) was a speaker in the field of Politics and Administration, Jae-Ho KEUM (Senior Fellow of Korea Labor Institute) in Labor and Welfare, and Hea-Sook CHUNG (Researcher Fellow of Korean Women's Development Institute) in Education and Culture. This was followed by discussions from Eun-Jae LEE (Professor of Konkuk University), Soo-Hee CHIN (Senior Fellow of Yeoido Institute), and Hyun-Sook YOU (Researcher Fellow of Korean Educational Development Institute), enlightening the direction for women's policy issues to be reflected in 2002 presidential election.

5. Student Participation Group for 2002 Presidential Election Pledges

In hope to combat political ignorance and to encourage young generation's participation in politics and voting, KWIP organized a "Student Participation Group for 2002 Presidential Election Pledges"last October. Composed of 40 students from 20 different universities in Seoul-Kyunggi region, this group actively engaged in research and discussion, divided into four different teams under the themes: Women's "Politics and Administration", "Labor and Education", "Health and Welfare", and "Violence and Human Rights", aided by lectures from various professionals. They established their own suggestions for 2002 presidential election pledges, and reported their outcome as a message to each political party and made it public through a press conference on November 23 and 24.

6. Women Politicians' Who's Who

In cooperation with Ministry of Women, the project of publishing "Who's Who of Women Politicians"was launched last April, finishing up with its publication in December. This booklet holds listing of 1500 women politicians and their activities in each category of field ministries, parliamentary, municipal and local councils, parties, women's organization, and etc.  This provides useful information for women wishing to enter into political world.  The publication has been distributed to all respective sectors and organizations at both national and local levels.

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Future Activities in 2003

1. Training programs to enhance the leadership of young women

-	Leadership Training for Young Women

-	Political Party Internship Program for Female College Students

2. Academic seminars

-	The KIWP 14th Anniversary Seminar

3. Forums on women and politics

4. Cyber academy of women's politics

5. Submission of the report on KIWP's activities as a NGO in special consultative status with the UN ECOSOC

6. Joint activities with domestic and international women's organizations

-	Enhancing joint activities with women's organizations in the Asian and Pacific region.

7. Enhancement of the KIWP homepage

8. Publications

-	A Book on Women's Participation in Politics in the World

-	KIWP Newsletter, Women & Politics