In the fields of politics and economics, there have been various efforts direced at identifying
the gaps between legislation in South and North Korea for the purpose of planning for future
integration. In the areas of women and families, however, no comprehensive studies in
preparation for reunification have yet been pursued. This study pursued a more systematic
and comprehensive understanding of the North’s laws and legislation related to women and
families, and then attempted to compare them to those in the South. First, we reviewed the
development process of women- and family- related legislation in the South and the North
in the years since their division, particularly focusing on working women engaging in work
and family life by stage of life. Second, we sorted women- and family-related laws and
legislation in the South and North into six different categories: gender equality; women and
work; violence against women; women’s health and reproductive rights; family; and workfamily
balance. Each category was examined in terms of major laws and key content. Third,
we compared and analyzed the legal systems of the South and the North according to these
six categories, and finally presented a basic direction for the integration of the two systems
focusing on women and family issues in the context of Korean reunification.
