A South Korean local government official was expelled from his party after suggesting importing women from Vietnam or Sri Lanka to address the low birth rate problem.
Foreign news agencies reported that Kim Hee-soo, head of the administrative district of Jindo in southern South Korea, was expelled from the South Korean Democratic Party after he suggested on television that women from Vietnam or Sri Lanka be "imported" and married to young men in rural areas to solve the low birth rate issue.
Kim Hee-soo made the statement during an official meeting last week to discuss the possibility of merging administrative operations between Jindo district and neighboring cities, a consideration increasingly taken up in South Korea's depopulating regions.
South Korea continues to grapple with the world's lowest birth rate; if this trend persists, the country's population, currently about 50 million, could shrink to half within 60 years.
However, Kim's remarks caused widespread dissatisfaction and prompted the Vietnamese ambassador to submit an official protest, stating that Kim's comments "are not merely a matter of expression but concern values and attitudes toward migrant women and minority groups."
Kim later apologized, saying his comments were intended to highlight population issues in rural areas but admitted that his choice of words was "inappropriate."
The South Jeolla provincial government also issued an official apology, stating that Kim's remarks deeply hurt the Vietnamese people and women.
Despite the apologies, public outrage did not subside, leading the Democratic Party's Supreme Council to unanimously vote on Monday (9 Feb) to expel Kim from the party.
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Source:BBC