Korean lawmaker belittles Philippines

Rep. Lee Un-ju / Korea Times file

By Jung Min-ho

Filipinos furious over Korean lawmaker's degrading remarks

2018-11-27 14:44 | Foreign Affairs

A high-profile Korean lawmaker has come under criticism after belittling the Philippines in defending the economic policies of former military dictator Park Chung-hee.

In a recent interview with Dong-A Ilbo, a local daily, Rep. Lee Un-ju of the minor conservative Bareunmirae Party said "Koreans would have lived in a country worse than the Philippines" if Park had not ruled the country in such a way.

"There have been many dictators across East Asia and Africa. Most of them failed to develop the economy, unlike former President Park. We should recognize his achievement," she added in a comment apparently aimed at Ferdinand Marcos, the late Philippine strongman who ruled the country from 1965-86.

While some Koreans take her remarks only as a political attack against liberals, who generally share negative views about Park, others find them offensive to the people of the Philippines and diplomatically problematic.

"If I were a Filipino, I wouldn't forgive Lee Un-ju. I wonder what Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte would say to her if he heard her words," a netizen said. "The Philippines is a country that sent us troops during the Korean War, which we should be grateful for … It is regrettable that a lawmaker made such a comment just because Korea is wealthier than the Philippines … I'm deeply ashamed."

Some people urged the lawmaker to apologize.

The Philippines is a key economic and diplomatic partner of Korea in the region. More than 1.5 million Korean tourists visit the country every year and 100,000 Koreans live there.

During his summit with Korean President Moon Jae-in in early June, Duterte called Korea "a true friend" and said the two countries should continue to work together for peace, progress and prosperity in Asia.

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