British Ambassador to South Korea Colin Crooks has decided not to attend an upcoming forum organized by the unification ministry, the British Embassy in Seoul said Wednesday, in an apparent protest against gender inequality on the panel.

The website of the Global Korea Forum, scheduled for Sept. 3, shows that all but one of the panelists taking part in the event are men, with the exception of Yonsei University professor Chun Ja-hyun. Chun’s attendance reportedly had not been confirmed when Crooks made the decision.

While the British Embassy did not provide further details on the move, it said that the embassy supports the value of gender equality and that events are likely to be more successful when participants share diverse opinions.

The unification ministry said it respects the decision, adding the composition of the panelists was not intended.

“We tried to get in touch with a diverse pool of experts regardless of their gender and nationality, but due to many reasons, female experts could not take par
t and the panel was inevitably filled with a majority of male experts,” a ministry official said.

The ministry said it will invite an equal portion of female and male experts for an overseas seminar set to take place in November.

Source: Yonhap News Agency