South Korea president-elect's pledge to shutter gender ministry stirs debate

FILE PHOTO: Yoon Suk Yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, who was elected South Korea’s new president on Thursday, holds bouquets as he is congratulated by party’s members and lawmakers at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea March 10, 2022. Lee Jin-man/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's decision to use the country's gender wars as a campaign platform for his successful election earlier this month may have backfired.

Yoon, who won an unprecedented tight March 9 election, had promised to abolish the government's gender ministry, a pledge that helped engage young male voters spearheading a backlash against feminism in South Korea.