South Korean governor draws criticism for suggesting importing women for marriage as population fix

SEOUL – Mr Kim Hee-su, governor of Jindo in South Jeolla province, drew public backlash for his controversial comment about “importing” young women from overseas to address the population decline in the region.

The comment was made at a town hall meeting of the province’s regional leaders held on Feb 4 at the Haenam Culture and Arts Center in Haenam.

During the meeting, which focused on the planned integration of South Jeolla province and Gwangju, Mr Kim urged the authorities to legislate on the issue of population decline in the area.

“If it comes to it, we should import young women from Sri Lanka or Vietnam for young men in rural regions to marry, or come up with other solutions. What good is revitalising the industry if there are no people?” he said.

The comment sparked complaints from meeting participants and from over 15,000 viewers watching via YouTube live streaming.

“I think the comment about marriage and the importing of foreigners was inappropriate,” said Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-jung, who sealed the integration deal last week with South Jeolla Governor Kim Yung-rok.

Mr Kang and Mr Kim attended the event on Feb 4, along with the heads of regional government offices in the south-western region. They addressed questions and concerns from 100 residents in attendance.

South Jeolla province will hold three more town meetings, the last of which takes place on Feb 13, to receive resident feedback on the imminent integration.

The ongoing issue of population decline in the regions outside Greater Seoul, which includes Incheon and Gyeonggi province, remains a pressing concern.

Thirteen counties and cities in South and North Jeolla provinces were categorised as being at high risk of disappearing due to population losses, according to November data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK