SEOUL– U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris met with South Korean women leaders from various walks of life in Seoul on Thursday to discuss gender equality, a key focus of the Joe Biden administration’s domestic and foreign policies.
Hours after flying here from Japan, Harris held a “groundbreaking women roundtable” at the residence of the U.S. ambassador in central Seoul, where she displayed her excitement at the stories of Korean women having achieved parity with male rivals in their respective fields.
The participants included figure skating champion Kim Yuna, Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon, Oscar-winning actress Youn Yuh-jung and Baik Hyun-wook, head of the Korean Medical Women’s Association.
“I feel strongly that when women succeed, all of society succeeds,” she said. “Therefore, I believe if we want to strengthen democracy, we must pay attention to gender equity.”
Gender equality has been a policy priority for the Biden administration as seen in its release last year of the country’s first-ever national strategy to achieve gender equality, which includes ambitious goals for women not only in the U.S. but also abroad.
Later in the day, Harris visited the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas.
She toured key DMZ sites and met American troops at Camp Bonifas that lies close to the inter-Korean border.
“You’ve worked hard. You’ve had the highest level of skills and discipline … You make our commitment real,” she told the border troops. “So, know how grateful and thankful we are.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency