Korean Human Rights Commission Rules Against Gender Discrimination in Firefighting

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (인권위) has determined that excluding female firefighters from emergency response duties constitutes gender discrimination. This ruling follows a complaint from a firefighter, referred to as A, who alleged she was barred from responding to calls due to her gender while working at a 119 safety center in Incheon. The commission concluded that the exclusion based on gender is indeed discriminatory and recommended that the Incheon Fire Department implement measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.

According to A, her team leader, referred to as B, made several negative comments regarding women driving, stating, 'It's dangerous for a woman to drive on a snowy day.' Despite A holding a commercial driver's license and having previously trained in operating large vehicles, B dismissed her requests to participate in driving duties, saying, 'Let me explain why women shouldn't drive.' When A volunteered to assist in a wildfire response, B responded, 'You’ll struggle, so I’ll send a male employee instead.'

The conflict escalated during a wildfire in Hongseong, Chungcheongnam-do, in April of last year. When the safety center received a call for support, all members prepared to respond. However, when A was ready to go, B abruptly told her to 'unpack' and questioned her ability to drive long distances safely, ultimately assigning male firefighters to the response team. A strongly protested, stating, 'I commute from Chungcheongnam-do. Are you aware this is gender discrimination? Would you have changed the vehicle assignment if it were a male employee?'

A expressed that being called to significant incidents like the Hongseong wildfire is an honor and felt humiliated and insulted when her duties were taken away. She emphasized the need to correct the biases that could affect other female firefighters, stating, 'Even if B and the center chief claimed it was for the sake of consideration, it is still discrimination against women.'

After completing their investigation, the commission found that B held a negative perception of women driving and that A was unfairly denied the opportunity to perform her desired duties. They recommended that the Incheon Fire Department conduct training for its leadership to prevent gender-based exclusions in the future.

The commission noted that the actions taken against A were not solely the responsibility of B, as they occurred with the approval of the center chief. They concluded that B's discriminatory views are likely influenced by nearly 30 years of working in a male-dominated firefighting organization, indicating a need for organizational change rather than just individual awareness.