Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Sexist Foreign Policy

This article from the Hankyoreh about Foreign Minister Kang's presentation on sexism in foreign policy was illuminating:

Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha said she has been constantly aware of discrimination and prejudice toward women while working in a “male-centered culture of vested interests.” Her remarks were seen as reflecting awareness of persistent speculation about her being “bypassed” as South Korea’s first female foreign minister.

While participating in a conversation at the “Future Dialogue for Global Innovation” co-organized by the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the network tvN on Nov. 16, Jared Diamond, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of the book “Guns, Germs, and Steel” commented on the lack of an environment where women are able to show their capabilities. In response, Kang said, “I’m very working very hard in this important position of being the first female foreign minister, but there are times when I feel myself asking, ‘Is this kind of [response] because I’m a woman?’”

Kang Kyung-wha opens up about sexism in “male-centered culture of vested interests” Posted on : Nov.17,2020 17:02 KST Modified on : Nov.17,2020 17:02 KST Hankyoreh South Korea By Gil Yun-hyung, http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/970335.html

Wow. Here are my observations:

1) S.Korea is the weakest of among the three pertinent states including the US and Japan who typically seek obsequious foreign policy from South Korean leaders.

2) Kang Kyung-wha is a brilliant and able diplomat who represents the new democratic policy of asserting South Korea’s sovereignty against overbearing allies previously accustomed to demanding and getting their way. Her determination and independence are mistaken for some kind of feminine “weakness” that succumbs to naive idealism and unrealistic expectations in a harsh world rather than the actual foreign policy of the Moon Jae-in administration.

3) The male dominated ultra conservative governments of the US and Japan are sexist in nature.

4) South Korea is a male dominated patriarchal society with a deeply seated sexist bias. Therefore, attempts to sway its erstwhile overbearing allies are going to tend to move her out of the way to appease their sexist inclinations.

5) I noticed the inappropriate demeanor and “touchiness” of Pompeo’s early interaction with Foreign Minister Kang. When he didn’t get his way in policy terms, the Korea passing and other protocol slights not only to Kang, but to the entire Moon cabinet began.

Very interesting article.