February 09, Colombo (LNW): South Korea’s governing Democratic Party has moved to expel a local government head following widespread criticism over comments he made about bringing women from abroad to address falling birth rates in rural areas, foreign media reported.
The party’s top decision-making body voted unanimously on Monday to remove Kim Hee-su, the head of Jindo County in South Jeolla Province, citing remarks that were widely condemned as offensive and demeaning. Party spokesperson Park Soo-hyun confirmed the decision after the meeting.
The action follows comments made by Kim during a televised public forum last week, where he spoke of attracting young women from countries such as Vietnam and Sri Lanka to marry men in depopulated farming communities. The remarks quickly triggered anger on social media and across the political spectrum, with critics accusing him of reducing women to demographic tools.
Kim issued a public apology the next day, arguing that his comments had been poorly expressed and were meant to draw attention to long-standing structural challenges in rural regions, including population decline, limited opportunities for young people, and weakening prospects for marriage. He also linked the issue to his long-held view that closer administrative integration between South Jeolla Province and the city of Gwangju was needed.
The controversy, however, extended beyond domestic politics. Vietnam’s Embassy in Seoul formally protested to provincial authorities, expressing concern over the language used and its potential impact on perceptions of Vietnamese women. In response, South Jeolla Province conveyed its regret to the Vietnamese government, its citizens and particularly to women who may have felt insulted, acknowledging that the comments were inappropriate and hurtful.
