Women activists perform a die-in protest in front of Hongdae Station in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on April 27, placing shoes to symbolize victims of gender-based violence. By reporter Seong Dong-hoon

The 21st presidential election, which is scheduled for the 3rd of next month, will not have a single female candidate. As no woman has entered the race, concerns are mounting that gender-related policies and pledges, the so-called "women’s agenda,” may be sidelined. The women's community warns that “the demands of women who rallied in the square at the time of the illegal martial law declaration on December 3 last year must not be ignored by the political establishment.”

On May 12, when candidate registration closed and the official campaign began, criticism surged on social media over the all-male lineup. One user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, “The gender ratio of voters is almost 50-50, but how is it possible that none of the seven candidates is a woman? It’s insulting as a woman.” Another user said, “If there is no women’s agenda, I will cast a void ballot.”

Some say women's agenda is invisible in the upcoming presidential election. Women had led the protests calling for former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment, demanding “sweeping societal reforms,” including measures against intimate partner killings and gender-based violence, policies ensuring safe access to abortion, and the introduction of a non-consensual rape law. Yet, in the main campaign pledges of leading candidates, the word “women” is scarcely mentioned. Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok has instead proposed abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, signaling an anti-feminist stance. Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party (PPP) focuses his gender-related policies primarily on childbirth and childrearing.

Even Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK)’s presidential candidate, has shown little emphasis on women’s issues compared to the previous election. It is reported that some proposed party pledges originally containing the term “gender equality” have been revised to simply “equality.” Unlike the previous election, when the DPK held a resolution rally of its women’s committee, the proposal to establish a “2030 Women’s Team” under the women’s headquarters was scrapped this time.

Na Young, head of SHARE, the center for Sexual rigHts And Reproductive justice, said, “It appears that leading presidential candidates are deliberately avoiding issues related to women and gender equality. The government could easily propose alternatives for ensuring safe abortion access if it had the will, yet none of the presidential candidates is articulating a clear plan.”

Even the previously discussed proposal to introduce a non-consensual rape law has disappeared from discourse since party primaries. The core of this law would be redefining rape based on the “absence of consent,” rather than requiring proof of violence or threats. National Assembly legislative researcher Heo Min-sook said, “The non-consensual rape law is fundamentally about public safety and health. Just because Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon who supported it lost the party primary doesn’t mean the proposal should be discarded. We must clearly explain why such a law is necessary for our society.”

Some argue that the absence of female candidates and agendas demonstrates continued “discrimination against women.” Heo said, “A presidential election with no female candidates and a largely absent women's agenda is evidence of the extreme weakening of women's representation and influence.”

“The fact that so many women in their 20s and 30s came out to Yoon’s impeachment protests shows how deep their thirst for democracy is,” said Shin Gyeong-ah, a professor of sociology at Hallim University. “Yet, problems like employment discrimination and gender-based violence remain unaddressed, and even the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has become virtually defunct, and nothing is being done to solve them.” She concluded, “If a political party calls itself democratic, it must listen to the demands raised in the public square.”