The public has expressed shock and rage over the repeated controversial and inadvertent remarks made by Rep. Ahn Sang-soo, chairman of the governing Grand National Party (GNP). He has made slips of the tongue twice since late last month.
The latest case took place Wednesday when Ahn spoke on widespread plastic surgery among Korean women. During a visit to a care facility for disabled children in Seoul, he told female journalists that a woman with excessive plastic surgery wasn’t as appealing as one might think.
People, especially women, became infuriated as he was quoted as saying that men prefer “natural” women at hostess bars. He apparently wanted to stress that natural beauty is much better than a facelift. He might have tried to warn against the blind pursuit of plastic surgery and its ill-effects.
However, his remarks have sparked angry reactions as they sounded sexist. Opposition parties and feminist groups criticized Ahn for being prejudiced against women. He should have thought twice before making such remarks that could be seen as demeaning to women. The word “natural” in that context might be interpreted as comparing women with fish as a commodity.
Unquestionably, Ahn’s words cannot and should not be excused as a slip of the tongue. He apologized to the nation by stating that he had no intention of insulting women. But his apology is not sufficient to undo what he said. He has already lost credibility due to his previous blunders and reckless remarks.
Right after North Korea’s artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island on Nov. 23, he made another mistake. A TV news program showed him picking up two burnt thermos flasks from the debris of a bombed house on the island and described them as shells fired by the North. It was a farce parodied in talk shows.
Ahn had also invited the wrath of the Buddhist circle by branding the head monk of the Bongeunsa temple in southern Seoul as a leftwing priest. He was even blamed for pressuring the Jogye Order, the nation’s largest Buddhist sect, to directly control the temple. Additionally, he was accused of attributing soaring sexual violence against children to the previous government’s leftist education policy. And he has been dogged by questions about his exemption from mandatory military service.
It is increasingly doubtful whether Ahn is the right man to lead the ruling party. Ironically, the main opposition Democratic Party hopes the GNP retains Ahn so that his tainted leadership may speed up the demise of the conservative party. It remains to be seen if the GNP will live up to this wish or give in to public calls to elect a new chairman. There are few qualified and trusted figures to lead the party with new vision and hope ― one of the most serious challenges to the GNP.