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New Assembly takes up anti-discrimination bill, reigniting equality debate – The Korea Times

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New Assembly takes up anti-discrimination bill, reigniting equality debate - The Korea Times

Revised bill seeks to add class-action powers and protect more workers

Korea has seen the formal introduction of a comprehensive anti-discrimination bill at the 22nd National Assembly, reviving a long-stalled debate over equal rights and hate speech. The move follows the scrapping of multiple similar bills in previous Assemblies and comes amid growing pressure from international bodies to address the country’s legislative vacuum.

Korea remains one of only two OECD member nations, alongside Japan, that has yet to enact a comprehensive anti-discrimination law.

Rep. Son Sol of the left-leaning Progressive Party said Monday that she had submitted the bill, describing it as “the top priority voiced by the public” for sweeping social reforms.

Son emphasized that the issue has been debated since the Kim Dae-jung administration (1998-2003) and can no longer be postponed, urging the Assembly “not to be swayed by baseless distortions and agitation about this law.”

For decades, the primary hurdle to such legislation has been fierce opposition from conservative Protestant groups, who argue that the law would lead to “reverse discrimination” and infringe upon religious liberty. These groups have historically exerted significant political pressure on lawmakers, and similar pushback is widely expected to resurface as a major roadblock for Son’s proposal.

She warned that prolonged delays had fueled extreme polarization, saying Koreans were now witnessing situations in which some believe it is acceptable to “shoot and kill” those with different political views, while others are insulted or threatened in public simply because of their nationality. Her remarks referred to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law in December 2024 and the deep sociopolitical divisions that followed, including prolonged street protests, heightened political rhetoric and growing hostility between rival political camps.

The draft seeks to ban unjust discrimination in labor, services and education on grounds such as gender, disability and sexual orientation. Building on previous efforts, the proposal expands legal protections in significant ways.

Most notably, it widens coverage from traditional employment to “labor provision contracts” such as platform and gig workers who often fall outside standard protections. Furthermore, it empowers the National Human Rights Commission to file lawsuits directly on behalf of victims and creates a legal basis for class action lawsuits, enabling collective redress in cases of large-scale discriminatory practices. These additions address long-standing criticism from U.N. treaty bodies that Korea lacks effective institutional mechanisms to remedy discrimination.

Civic leaders at the press conference framed the bill as a test of President Lee Jae Myung administration’s international human rights commitments.

Jang Ye-jung of the Coalition for the Enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Act noted that the government must report its progress to U.N. committees this year.

“We are tired of the same old line that ‘the government will cooperate if the National Assembly moves forward,’ and tired of seeing bills abandoned under the excuse of ‘social consensus,’” Jang said, adding that it has been 20 years since the law was first recommended.

Ham Jae-gyu of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions argued that lawmakers are lagging behind public opinion, citing surveys where nearly 90 percent of respondents support the law.

“Equality and human rights are not gifts granted when everyone agrees; it is only after the law is enacted that awareness truly changes,” Ham stressed.

LGBTQ activists and progressive Christian groups echoed the sentiment.

Lee Ho-rim of the Rainbow Action coalition warned that unchecked hatred against minorities has become the “soil in which far-right forces that damage democracy have taken root.”

“The core of the gospel that Christ taught and lived is welcoming and love, not exclusion. A law that says ‘do not discriminate’ should not be this difficult,” Jung Byung-il of the Christian network “Believers for a World without Discrimination and Hate” said.

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