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Minister of Gender Equality Won Min-kyung holds a meeting with business representatives on the employment equality disclosure system at the Government Complex Seoul on the afternoon of the 13th, discussing ways to help the system take root in the field and operate effectively. / Kim Bo-young, Staff Photographer

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family held a second meeting with officials from major economic organizations at the Government Complex Seoul on the afternoon of the 13th, discussing the introduction of the employment equality disclosure system and ways to help it take root in the field.

The meeting was attended by officials from five economic organizations: the Korea Enterprises Federation, the Korea Federation of SMEs, the Federation of Korean Industries, the Korea Federation of Middle Market Enterprises, and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The employment equality disclosure system aims to have public institutions and private companies above a certain size disclose their gender employment status and wage gaps, encouraging companies to identify and improve gender imbalances on their own.

With 14 bills related to the employment equality disclosure system currently pending in the National Assembly, the ministry held its first meeting with business representatives in January and has since gathered input from labor, management, and experts through expert forums and National Assembly discussions. At this latest meeting, the main agenda was how to ensure the system's effectiveness while minimizing the administrative burden on companies during implementation.

Based on the feedback gathered so far, the ministry is reviewing measures such as unifying data submission by linking the new system with the existing Affirmative Action (AA) program, building a single disclosure system, providing companies with self-diagnosis tools and consulting/training support, and offering incentives to companies with strong performance.

The ministry plans to incorporate the views business representatives raised at the meeting into the process of drafting related legislation and detailed operating standards, aiming to develop an operating plan that both labor and business can agree on.

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Won Min-kyung said, "The employment equality disclosure system isn't simply about publishing numbers — it should serve as a foundation for objectively identifying gender gaps in the workplace and for labor and management to work together to build a gender-equal working environment," adding, "We will continue holding sessions to listen to the views of both labor and business, balancing the system's original intent with practical realities to design a system that can operate effectively."

                                                                                                            Kim Bo-young