People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun [Yonhap]
People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun [Yonhap]

People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun said the Lee Jae Myung government is using overseas case studies and research projects as cover to build a legislative foundation for an anti-discrimination law, also known as the equality act. "During the presidential election, they emphasized the need for social consensus — now they say they will lay the groundwork for enacting the anti-discrimination law," Yoon said. "This is truly alarming."

In a Facebook post Monday, Yoon said opposing discrimination is a matter of course and that no one should face unjust treatment on the basis of gender, disability or background. "But the problem is that while the law outwardly promotes non-discrimination, in practice it could allow state power to intrude into the very freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution," he said.

He said legislation should not be pushed forward without sufficient public debate, particularly on matters that could affect the constitutional principle of gender equality and long-standing institutional and cultural norms. "The anti-discrimination law is like a puffer fish dish with the poison still inside," Yoon said. "Unlike its stated aim of preventing discrimination, if pursued without thorough review and social consensus, it could trigger unforeseen legal confusion and social conflict."

He added that if criticism or objections to the bill are themselves labeled discrimination or hate speech, freedoms of religion, conscience, academic inquiry and expression could all be chilled. "Religious communities have consistently raised concerns that banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation could promote homosexuality and undermine families, churches and society," he said.

Yoon said the debate is ongoing abroad as well. He pointed to a ruling by the British Supreme Court in April last year, in which it held that "woman" and "sex" under the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex. British society has since been engaged in intense debate over women's protection policies, the definition of gender and the scope of anti-discrimination rules. "This shows that anti-discrimination law and gender policy are not simply matters of sloganeering — they require both social consensus and legal stability," he said.

"Liberal democracy is not a system in which the state manages the thoughts and beliefs of its citizens," Yoon said. "It is a system in which differing views compete and debate freely, and social consensus emerges from that process." He warned that once the state begins defining what constitutes discrimination or hate speech and deciding which statements fall under regulation, the freedoms of citizens will inevitably shrink.

He said the most urgent task facing South Korea today is restoring livelihoods and the economy, and that the government's job is to protect people's lives, not reshape their thinking. "Any discussion of an anti-discrimination law must be preceded by sufficient social consensus and broad public understanding," Yoon said. "The realm of freedom must never be encroached upon by state power."


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