By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
An association of 10 women's rights groups Monday protested against a Seoul Metropolitan Council member for making rows of sexist comments. They urged him to state a public apology and the Democratic Party to punish him.
According to the Korea Women's Political Solidarity, Hong Kwang-sik of the DP spilled out his idea against women at occasions, which were offensive.
Last year, he once said, "Gender equality has messed up this country. Women don't give childbirth or obey their husband anymore, but just try to get away with things by getting divorced."
Other remarks the women's groups find fault with are:"I have recently learned that Vietnamese women are honest, have high sexual self-esteem and give birth to two or more children. We should import more of them and export some of Korean girls who threaten their husbands to divorce. This way we can have more children and Vietnamese people can have economic benefit because they can become the mother country for many Koreans."
What made him infamous was his comments made in 2006 when he said, "My wife was quite incapable of giving a son ― we have three daughters only. I gave her the right balls, but she did not manage to catch them."
Women's rights groups since then asked for his apology, but he remained silent.
"Hong perceives women as a submissive object. Women are more than a baby-machine and we are nothing to be imported or exported," the protestors said in a statement.
His actions were taken to the internal ethics committee at the DP. A decision was due earlier this month, but the death of the late former President Kim Dae-jung has delayed the meeting, insiders said.
"We are going to bring up the issue till Hong makes a public apology. It is not only an insult to Korean women but also many foreign women staying here for marriage," Kim Eun-hee, spokesperson for the women solidarity group, said.
Hong said his comments must have been misinterpreted. "I did not mean any disgrace to women," he told The Korea Times.