Women with the Title of ‘First’ in the Republic of Korea

Marking International Women’s Day on March 8th, Korea is bringing to light pioneers who have contributed to improving the status of Korean women.

Illustrious figures include the nation’s first female reporter Lee Gak-gyeong(이각경), the first female lawyer Lee Tae-young(이태영), golfer Pak Se-ri(박세리) who became the first Korean to win a major on the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association or LPGA Tour, and Korea’s first astronaut Yi So-yeon(이소연) who took a historic step into space with a dream of exploring outer space in the 21st century, to name a few.

These women were able to overcome the nation’s deep-rooted gender discrimination influenced by Confucianism and rose to the top in their chosen professions with the title of “first,” inspiring countless women to showcase their abilities in society.

In particular, the appearance of Yim Young-shin, who was the first female lawmaker in the Republic of Korea, signaled the opening of an era of female politicians.


First Woman to Get Elected to the Legislature

On May 31st, 1948, the National Assembly convened its first official session in the constitutional history of the Republic of Korea. But even though they comprise half the population, there were no women at the opening ceremony of the historic assembly.

There were 198 lawmakers elected at the nation’s first general elections on May 10th. Not one of them was a woman. It wasn’t until 1949 that a female lawmaker appeared for the first time in the Republic of Korea, with Yim Young-shin winning the by-election in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province.

Yim was born in 1899 to a family of devout Christians in Geumsan(금산), South Chungcheong Province. She was a smart and strong-willed girl. While attending Gijeon(기전) Girls’ School in Jeonju and Christian Women’s School in Hiroshima, Japan, she participated in the 1919 independence movement and also got involved in a communication network established by the Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai. As such, Yim advocated Korea’s independence from Japanese colonial rule.

She taught at Youngmyong(영명) Girls’ School in Gongju and Ewha School for two years from 1921. But she hoped to experience a broader world. She went to the United States in 1925 and studied at the University of Southern California and its Graduate School.

Yim returned to Korea in 1931 and became the headmaster of Chung-Ang(중앙) Kindergarten School, taking her first step as a female educator. In 1945, she founded the Korean Women’s Nationalist Party and became the party leader.

After she entered politics, she enjoyed the full confidence of President Syngman Rhee, with whom she had formed a relationship in the United States. Yim was selected as Commerce Minister around the time when the government of the Republic of Korea was established on August 15th, 1948. She was the only woman to be named as a member of the Cabinet. The following year, she got elected to the legislature by winning a seat in the by-election in Andong.


The Wall Will Fall Down

Yim grabbed the title of the nation’s first female minister and lawmaker. But her political journey was far from easy. When she was appointed as the nation’s first Commerce Minister, male officials at the ministry refused to seek approval from their female boss. After she became a lawmaker, there were rumors that she got elected because she spread money around during the campaign.

Yim did not back down. She said confidently, “Quit your job right away if you can’t work under a woman. I’ve struggled and fought as aggressively as men for the sake of national independence and the foundation of the Republic of Korea.” She resisted the conservative stance that wouldn’t acknowledge women. Her efforts garnered due recognition, as she succeeded in getting reelected to the second National Assembly in 1950.

Yim served as the Korean representative to the United Nations General Assembly in the same year to contribute to improving South Korea’s international status. She worked as the president of Chung-Ang University in 1953, and the head of the Korean Women’s Youth Group in 1961. Also, she organized the Korean Women’s Association in 1963 to assume the presidency and served as the advisor to the leader of the Democratic Republican Party.

Yim engaged in brisk activities in the education field, and she became the president of the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession in 1966. She held various other posts, including the first executive director of the Korean Teachers Mutual Aid Association and the honorary president of Chung-Ang University. She died in 1977.


Post-Yim Young-shin

Yim paved the way for Korean women to participate in politics, leading to the emergence of four-term lawmaker Park Soon-cheon(박순천) in the 1950s and 1960s and Park Hyun-sook(박현숙) who became a minister without portfolio in 1952.

Kim Myung-ja(김명자) worked as the Minister of Environment between June 1999 and February 2003 to stay in office the longest of any female minister ever. In 2006, Han Myung-sook(한명숙) was named the country’s first female prime minister.

And this year, the Republic of Korea saw its first female president. It would be fair to say that Yim Young-shin was at the start of the era of female politicians.