0
Minister of Gender Equality Won Min-kyung (fourth from left) poses for a photo during a ceremony to unveil the signboard of the Joint Planning Team for the Employment Equality Disclosure System, held at the Government Complex Seoul on the afternoon of July 14. / Photo by Reporter Kim Bo-young

The government has officially launched preparations to introduce the Employment Equality Disclosure System in a bid to narrow the gender wage gap, which stood at 29 percent as of 2024.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Korean Women's Development Institute announced that they held a ceremony to unveil the signboard of the Joint Planning Team for the Employment Equality Disclosure System at the Government Complex Seoul on the afternoon of July 14.

The event was attended by Jeong Jeong-ok, presidential secretary for gender equality and family; Lim Young-mi, deputy minister for employment policy at the Ministry of Employment and Labor; Lee Byung-hee, president of the Korea Labor Institute; and Park Jong-phil, secretary-general of the Korea Labor Foundation.

The planning team was established to lay the groundwork for the Employment Equality Disclosure System, which aims to narrow the gender wage gap and promote fair compensation systems by transparently disclosing the gender employment status and wage conditions of private enterprises and public institutions. Until 2027, when a specialized institution for employment equality is designated, the team will focus on preparing for the system's launch, transferring tasks related to affirmative action, preparing for the establishment of the specialized institution, and mapping out a mid- to long-term roadmap to solidify the system.

Meanwhile, the government has been promoting the introduction of the Employment Equality Disclosure System as a key national policy task to address the gender wage gap, which reached 29 percent in 2024. To this end, an amendment to the Framework Act on Gender Equality, which includes clauses to disclose the gender employment and wage status of companies and public institutions, is currently pending in the National Assembly.

Accordingly, along with the legislative revision, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family plans to set up the necessary infrastructure, including building a disclosure system, establishing operational foundations for the specialized institution, and providing guidelines and promotional materials for businesses. It will also develop self-diagnosis tools, professional consulting, and incentive programs to encourage companies to voluntarily close the gender gap.

"The introduction of the Employment Equality Disclosure System is the first institutional step toward encouraging voluntary improvements by companies through the transparent disclosure of gender employment and wage conditions," said Minister of Gender Equality Won Min-kyung. "With the planning team at the center, we will do our utmost to ensure the system is successfully introduced and settled by 2027 through meticulous preparations, including system development, legislative drafting, and the designation of a specialized institution."

                                                                                                            Kim Bo-young