Paper short abstract:

Korea's Digital New Deal does not consider gender inequality as a significant issue, as it is primarily a governmental response to the dwindling economy as a result of covid-19. Yet, this policy can potentially undo many signs of progress that have been made for gender equality.

Paper long abstract:

While much attention is given to achieving gender inequality in the Global South, gender inequality is still an issue of paramount significance in the Global North. Considering that development efforts model after successful cases more often than not, the impact of a developed country's policy should be examined. South Korea has achieved rapid economic development since the 1960s but ranks 108th out of 153 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index by the World Economic Forum in 2020. There still exist severe gender inequalities on many fronts in society. Due to gender bias perpetuated by social actors and institutions, women will be further marginalized by digital technology. This paper will be a case study of South Korea. This paper will first review South Korea's progress on gender inequality and its current state, focusing on socioeconomic macro indicators such as women's labor participation rate, enrollment rate, etc. Next, the paper will examine extant literature on the impact of digital advancement on gender equality. After that, the paper will explain South Korea's Digital New Deal in-depth in its purpose, content, and execution so far. Lastly, the paper will provide some implications that this policy can have on South Korea.