According to Yonhap news agency, Jindo County Chief Kim Hee-soo, of Jeolla Nam province, held a dialogue session with residents at Gunnam High School on 9/2 to discuss various issues. When a resident spoke loudly while complaining about road construction, Kim remarked, "Ah, that guy is so noisy," before immediately standing up and swearing. This action sparked local outrage.

"Mr. Kim appears to have inadvertently sworn at residents," a Jindo County official stated, adding, "We apologize for the series of unfortunate incidents."

Jindo County Chief Kim Hee-soo. Photo: Chosun Daily

This latest incident follows another controversy involving Kim, who recently stirred public anger in South Korea by proposing the "importing young women from places like Vietnam or Sri Lanka" to counter the risk of "population extinction." He made these remarks on 4/2 during a forum discussing the merger of Gwangju and Jeolla Nam provinces.

Kim apologized on 4/2, explaining he did not intend to offend any nation or individual, but his apology failed to appease public sentiment. The Democratic Party of Korea subsequently imposed disciplinary measures, expelling the Jindo chief.

On 6/2, the Vietnamese Embassy in South Korea sent a diplomatic note to officials in Jeolla Nam province and Jindo County. The embassy deemed Kim's statements offensive and substandard, urging them to be seriously acknowledged, understood, and rectified with a constructive attitude.

The Jeolla Nam Provincial government sent apology letters to the Vietnamese and Sri Lankan embassies on 9/2. They described Kim's statements as "inappropriate, unjustifiable under any circumstances" and acknowledged that the use of the term "importing" harmed human dignity, directly contradicting the province's values of respect, gender equality, and multicultural integration.

As Tam (According to JoongAng Daily, Yonhap)