Women's Equality Pledge Made

A charter for gender equality was unveiled on Tuesday at a women's rights promotion event by the Ministry of Gender Equality.

At a ceremony in Seoul to celebrate the sixth annual Women's Week, the ministry announced that it had designated 2001 as the first year in moving Korea toward the goal of achieving an equal society. It did not forecast a completion date for this process. Women leaders in Korea and Korean women residing overseas, were among about 1,500 people attending the event.

President Kim Dae-jung appeared by video and said that the government would seek ways to facilitate women's economic participation. "Without addressing ill practices against women, such as harboring bias against them or favoring men," he said, "our future will not be bright." President Kim said the government would play a leading role in reducing gender inequality at a managerial level, and would try to mandate corporations and government agencies to hire a certain proportion of women executives.

Han Myung-sook, minister of gender equality, said the ministry would focus on providing child care for working mothers and developing a female work force suitable for the information society.

The seven-point charter outlines principles and visions that men and women should follow to make a more equal society, the ministry said.

by Lee Eun-ju