South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party (DP) decided Monday to kick out the head of Jindo County over his controversial comments on “importing” women from overseas, including Sri Lanka, to cope with population decline.
The DP’s Supreme Council unanimously voted to expel Kim Hee-su, the county chief of Jindo in South Jeolla Province, for his derogatory remarks, DP spokesperson Park Soo-hyun told reporters.
The decision came five days after Kim suggested “importing young women from Vietnam and Sri Lanka” to marry young men in rural areas during a televised town hall meeting in South Jeolla last Wednesday, triggering public outrage.
Kim issued an apology the following day, saying his remarks were intended to highlight structural problems facing rural regions, including severe population decline and the “weakening foundations for marriage,” and to stress the need for a merger between South Jeolla Province and Gwangju. (Yonhap)