Lee Jun-seok, the People Power Party's new chairman, speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul. (Yonhap)
North Korean propaganda outlets slammed the head of South Korea's main opposition party Wednesday for calling for the abolition of the gender equality ministry but stayed mum on a more relevant issue of his call for scrapping the unification ministry.
Earlier, Lee Jun-seok, chairman of the People Power Party, called for the abolishment of the gender equality and unification ministries, claiming they have outlived their lifespans or had no role to play from the beginning.
Meari, a North Korean propaganda website, carried an article under the name of an individual, saying that Lee's claims on scrapping the gender equality ministry show that the mindsets of South Korean politicians "still belong to the pre-modern times."
"The so-called 'Lee Jun-seok phenomenon' shows the shameful aspect of the South Korean society and is a deformed and dangerous phenomenon that has its roots in the reactionary view and backward social system running counter to the advancement of history of mankind," it said.
Uriminzokkiri, another propaganda website, quoted South Korean media reports on the issue and slammed Lee for "showing outright discrimination against women."
Tongil Voice, a North Korean propaganda radio broadcast, also cited media reports in the South and said Lee's leadership is faced with a crisis.
The North, however, remained mum on Lee's calls to scrap the unification ministry.
Last week, Lee called into question the existence of the unification ministry in a radio interview, saying it is inefficient to separate the duties of the unification ministry from the foreign ministry.
Unification Minister Lee In-young immediately rebuffed his arguments and voiced strong regret. Later, he also criticized the PPP chairman for lacking "historical awareness" with regard to the unification of the Korean Peninsula.
The unification ministry has handled all issues related to inter-Korean relations and unification since it was first launched in 1969 as the Board of National Unification and later upgraded into a full ministry. (Yonhap)
