An opposition candidate has come under fire for joking about sexual violence eight years ago on a satirical Internet program.
Newspapers, politicians and citizens reproached him, with some urging him to quit the race and apologize.
According to an audio clip revealed on YouTube on Sunday, Kim Yong-min, a candidate for the main opposition Democratic United Party, made the remarks in 2004 during “Kim Gura/Hani’s Plus 18,” an online show.
When he was asked about anti-terrorism measures, he replied, “Let’s release (serial killer) Yu Yeong-cheol and rape and kill (Condoleezza) Rice and kill Rumsfeld and Bush.”
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Kim Yong-min |
About measures to raise the low birthrate, he said: “Let the major broadcasters air porn films after midnight and on weekends to encourage shagging. Let’s sell aphrodisiacs under the name of contraceptives.”
Kim explained his comment was to satirize the sexual assaults conducted at the Guantanamo camp by the American military. The contraceptive comments, he said, were silly jokes to “encourage procreation, one of the utmost urgent issues the country is facing.”
On Wednesday, he posted a video clip on his blog apologizing for his remarks.
“It was eight years ago. I was immature and all the panelists of the talk show were competing to make the lewdest and the most vulgar jokes. There must be a lot more I have done wrong. I am sorry,” he said.
“I have espoused progressivism as my political motto. But unfortunately, I have never really shown concern for women and gender equality. I have never reflected on women as a social minority group. From now on, I would like to keep those in mind.”
The ruling Saenuri Party opened fire on Tuesday.
“There is no dignity, quality or morality in Kim. We do not believe the Democratic United Party should keep him as a candidate,” its spokesman said in a press release.
Both conservatives and liberals chastised Kim online for his imprudent and sexist remarks.
Some of Kim’s strongest allies also criticized him. The liberal scholar Cho Kuk of Seoul National University, who is currently heading Kim’s sponsor group, said Kim should apologize profusely.
“What Kim did was clearly wrong and inappropriate. Kim should come out and apologize in person instead of throwing words online,” he said.
Bestselling novelist Gong Ji-young, who previously called Kim “a person I would like to marry my daughter to,” said she was appalled.
“I couldn’t believe my ears. This was beyond common sense about women and their rights. I demand a sincere apology from Kim,” she wrote on her Twitter.
Kim shot to the fame last year when he co-hosted “Naneun Ggomsuda,” one of the world’s most downloaded political podcast programs, which aims to reveal the “dirty laundry of the Lee Myung-bak administration.” The DUP nominated Kim in the Nowon constituency in northern Seoul for the April 11 general election.
By Bae Ji-sook (
baejisook@heraldcorp.com)
