Vered’s Blog

The other day I was working with my daughter on her school paper that she needed to hand in. She chose to write about China. We were talking about the different dynasties that China had during history and she asked me: “what is a dynasty?”

When I explained it to her she was astonished to learn that girls were not considered equal to boys and were not even entitled to inherit the position of an emperor. She concluded it in a very simple (and true) statement: “This is stupid!�

Isn’t it wonderful that today’s girls are amazed at the thought that girls and women were not considered throughout history as equal to men? I just can’t wait to see what will happen to our world when more and more of this consciousness will take part in society.

I just can’t wait to see what will happen to the world when those girls will start taking part in running our world.

One of the women that, in my opinion, has done a lot to change this and to create a shift in consciousness and has done it in one of the most traditionally male-dominated society, is Han Myung-sook.

Han Myung-sook was born on March 24, 1944 in Pyongyang, now the capital of North Korea, she escaped to the south as a refugee after the Communists started the Korean War in 1950. Dreaming of being an author, she entered Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul as a French literature major in 1963.

But her life changed after she met husband-to-be, Park Sung-jun, a pro-democracy activist during the Park Chung-hee government in the 1960s and 1970s. Both were members of a Christian students’ club involved in social activities in favor of the poor.

After six months of marriage Joon Park was arrested for his pro-democracy activism and spent the next 13 years in prison. Han Myung-sook was also jailed from 1979 to 1981. Both were tortured in prison.
Their correspondence became her political and social training.

Since the 1980s, Han dedicated herself to promoting women’s rights and status in the male chauvinistic South Korean society. Her social role as an activist included head of Womenlink Korea, a feministic civilian organization. She led the body for many years.

On April 19, 2006 Ms Han Myung-Sook became the first woman prime minister in the history of South Korea, a traditionally male-dominated society. 

President Roh Moo-hyung nominated her as the best person for the post. Parliament agreed by a wide margin voting 182- to 77 in her favor, thus marking an historic step forward in the country’s process of democratic development.

This, for Grand National Party MP Jin Soo-hee, means that the “age has passed when women were of little value only because of their gender.� Han greatly contributed to improving the status of women so much so that she was nicknamed the ‘god-mother’ of the feminist movement.

In her maiden speech as a Prime Minister Han Myung-Sook demonstrated fully what the values of Feminine Leadership are: “A prime minister,� she said “must make an effort to humbly listen to the voice of the people more than give directives and orders. He or she must put on the shoes of ordinary people to know their difficulties.�

This speech shows that qualities such as listening can replace giving orders, humbleness replacing arrogance of “knowing-it-all� and most of all compassion and service instead of authority and military regimes. This is a new world that is worth while to live in.

May there be more of this sprit in our world.

Have a wonderful day!