Exhibition highlights gender equality as key to Swedish innovation

The Swedish Embassy and partners are highlighting innovation, a theme routinely emphasized by President Park Geun-hye, in a multi-part exhibition at Ewha Womans University until Nov. 30.

Fancy high-tech gadgets come to the fore in the “Innovative Sweden” exhibition, such as wearable cameras and computers you can operate with only your eyes, but the exhibition also underscores gender equality and investment in education as key things for a nation to cultivate in order to be at the cutting edge of science and technology.

“No society can fully develop its capacity for innovation unless the capacity of both men and women is utilized. This has been a key element in the Swedish development for a number of decades,” Swedish Ambassador Lars Danielsson said in introducing the exhibition at South Korea’s leading women’s university.

“Innovative Sweden will try to show the importance of equal opportunities for both genders in forming a creative economy,” Danielsson said.

South Korea ranked among the lowest in terms of gender equality because women’s economic and political participation remains poor, according to a report released in October by the World Economic Forum.

South Korea came in at 108th out of 136 countries on the WEF’s “Global Gender Gap Report 2012,” which is one notch lower than in 2011. Japan beat South Korea, but just barely, ranking 101st.

Women’s underrepresentation in South Korean politics is a key factor damaging the country’s performance on international measurements.

South Korea ranked as poorly as North Korea, with women taking up just 47 seats, or 15 percent of the 300-seat National Assembly, according to a recent report by the Inter-Parliamentarian Union, an international organization of national parliaments from 162 countries.

Although Park came into office with promises she would work to level the playing field for women, she has appointed just two female cabinet ministers since she took power in February: Cho Yoon-sun of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Yoon Jin-sook of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

By Philip Iglauer (ephilip2011@heraldcorp.com)