Lawmaker's wine party raises criticism
On the left is a screenshot of an Instagram post recently uploaded by Rep. Youn Mee-hyang of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, a former leader of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issue of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, in which she holds a glass of wine with five other people at a restaurant. After internet users denounced her for holding a party amid the tightened social distancing guidelines imposed by the government to combat coronavirus spread, Youn deleted the post and uploaded an apology as seen in the screenshot on the right. / Yonhap
By Jung Da-min
An activist-turned-lawmaker is under fire for holding a dinner gathering over wine amid tightened social distancing regulations intended to combat further spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rep. Youn Mee-hyang of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, a former leader of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issue of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, recently uploaded a photo of herself holding a glass of wine with five other people at a restaurant, on her Instagram.
Along with the photo, Youn wrote that she was celebrating the birthday of Gil Won-wok, a survivor of Japan's wartime sexual slavery before and during the World War II. Youn wrote they wished for Gil's health.
But this post caused criticism for Youn for behaving indiscreetly as the government has tightened social distancing guidelines to contain the COVID-19 spread, telling the public to avoid year-end gatherings and stay home. People also asked if it was necessary to hold a birthday party without the birthday person, Gil, in attendance.
As the controversy grew, Youn deleted the post and uploaded an apology for her inappropriate conduct.
“Dec. 7 was Gil Won-ok's 94th birthday, but I could not meet her as I haven't been able to reach her,” Youn said. “I was sharing my longing for her with my friends at a dinner table, but it turned out to be an inconsiderate act.”
But Youn's explanation has brought further criticism as Gil turned 92 according to the council's records. Moreover, Youn is on trial after she was accused of misusing support funds for sexual slavery victims. Youn allegedly had Gil donate 79.2 million won ($72,467) to the council while Gil could not make a proper decision due to dementia.
“Even the apology of Rep. Youn, who held a no-mask wine party with an excuse of the birthday of Gil, whom she exploited for her own interest, is full of loopholes and doubts,” Hwang Kyu-hwan, a deputy spokesperson of the main opposition People Power Party, said in a statement, Monday.
“It does not make sense that Youn does not even know the age of Gil, who Youn said she misses so much when she was holding a birthday party without the birthday person amid the country's COVID-19 situation.”