The Leadership Council of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) held a closed-door meeting today and decided to apply emergency disciplinary action against Kim Hee-soo, chairman of Jindo district in Jeolla Nam province, for a "serious violation."

"We disciplined Mr. Kim regarding the controversy arising from his insulting language towards foreign women. The decision to expel him from the party was unanimously approved by all members of the leadership," announced Park Soo-hyun, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea.

Kim Hee-soo, chairman of Jindo district, at an event on 7/12/2023. Photo: Yonhap

Kim sparked outrage in South Korea in recent days when he proposed "importing virgins from places like Vietnam or Sri Lanka" to address the risk of "population extinction." These remarks were made during a discussion on 4/2 about the merger of Gwangju and Jeolla Nam provinces.

"People are not commodities to be imported. The nature of these remarks is not only gender-insensitive but also objectifies human beings," Moon Jeong-bok, a member of the DPK leadership, stated at the meeting.

The DPK is the largest opposition party in South Korea. The party was in power from 2017-2022 under president Moon Jae-in, moving into opposition after losing the 2022 election.

Democratic Party of Korea spokesperson Park Soo-hyun at a press conference in Seoul, on 8/1. Photo: News1

South Korea is facing a serious population decline, and officials have sought various measures to boost birth rates to avoid a "population extinction" risk. However, Kim's idea was unprecedented and met with a wave of angry protests from both South Koreans and the Vietnamese and Sri Lankan communities in the country.

On 6/2, the Vietnamese Embassy in South Korea sent a diplomatic note to officials in Jeolla Nam province and Jindo district, deeming the language insulting and inappropriate. The embassy stated that the remarks needed to be seriously acknowledged, understood for their true nature, and rectified with a willingness to learn.

The Jeolla Nam provincial government today sent letters to the Vietnamese and Sri Lankan embassies, expressing their "deepest apologies" to those affected by Kim's "inappropriate and unjustifiable under any circumstances" remarks. They acknowledged that using the phrase "importing" damaged human dignity and completely contradicted the values of respect, gender equality, and multicultural integration that the province upholds.

Kim apologized on 4/2, explaining that he did not intend to offend any country or individual. However, his apology failed to quell public outrage. He has not yet commented on the DPK's expulsion decision, and it is unclear if he intends to resign as district chairman.

South Korea has over 181,000 foreign residents registered on marriage visas, including nearly 42,000 Vietnamese brides. If those who have acquired citizenship are included, the number of Vietnamese brides in South Korea exceeds 100,000, according to the Vietnamese Women's Union in South Korea.

Duc Trung (According to Chosun, Korea Times, Korea Herald)