US bill expresses concerns over proposed abolishment of Korean ministry of equality

The sign for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is displayed at the ministry headquarters in the government complex in Seoul, March 17. Yonhap

A U.S. bill is seeking to express concerns over the proposed abolishment of Korea's Ministry of Equality and Family, the bill showed Monday.

The House of Representatives bill on the 2023 budget for the state department will also urge the secretary of state to remain "actively engaged" in promoting gender equality in Korea if passed.

"The Committee is concerned about the abolishment of the Korean Ministry of Equality and Family and urges the Secretary of State to remain actively engaged with efforts to advance women's empowerment and gender equality in the country," says the bill, introduced in the House of Representatives appropriations committee on Friday.

Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May, had pledged to abolish the ministry during his election campaign.

Yoon appointed a new minister of equality and family after taking office, but the new minister, Kim Hyun-sook, has noted the ministry may be "reorganized" during Yoon's five-year term.

Meanwhile, the House appropriations bill, if enacted, will also call on the U.S. state department to identify Korean Americans who wish to be reunited with their family in North Korea.

"The Committee urges the Office of North Korean Human Rights, in consultation with Korean American community organizations, to identify Korean Americans who wish to be reunited with their family in North Korea in anticipation of future reunions," it says.

The House unanimously passed a bill, called "Divided Families Reunification Act," last year to require U.S. government efforts to help realize family reunions of Korean Americans and their separated families in North Korea. (Yonhap)

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