A South Korean official has been expelled from his party after sparking fury over his proposal to boost the country’s worryingly low birthrate. Kim Hee-soo, the head of the southern Jindo County, suggested last week during a town hall that South Korea could « import young women » from « Vietnam or Sri Lanka » to address the crisis.
Mr Kim said these women could be married off to « young men in rural areas » as South Korea continues to grapple with the lowest birthrate in the world, which could see the 50 million-strong population drop by half in 60 years. Mr Kim’s televised statement was met with days of public anger and triggered a diplomatic protest from Vietnam. The now ex-official attempted to defuse the situation with an apology. According to local media, Mr Kim said his comment was intended to highlight population issues in rural regions but admitted the language he used was « inappropriate ».
The town hall had been called to discuss a potential merger between the province where Jindo County is located and a nearby city – something regions with shrinking populations are looking at for administrative reasons.
South Jeolla Province also issued a formal apology for Kim’s « inappropriate remarks », which it said have « caused deep pain to Vietnamese people and to women », according to the BBC.
The Vietnamese Embassy in Seoul had condemned Kim’s comments, saying in a statement on Facebook that his words were « not simply a matter of expression but a matter of values and attitudes towards migrant women and minority groups ». Sri Lankan authorities, however, have not publicly addressed the remarks.
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The Democratic Party’s Supreme Council voted unanimously to expel Mr Kim, a party spokesperson told reporters on Monday (February 9), while activists for women’s and migrant rights reportedly planned to hold a rally in front of the Jindo County Office on Tuesday over his comments.
South Korea’s fertility rate, the lowest globally, hit a record low in 2023 of just 0.72, but saw a slight increase to 0.75 in 2024 – the first rise in nine years. However, this rate remains well below the 2.1 replacement level needed to maintain a stable population. A number of factors have been blamed for the crisis, including high housing costs and employment instability as major deterrents for young couples, and long working hours and a challenging corporate culture as major challenges for working mothers.
Authorities have launched several initiatives over the years in a bid to reverse the trend, including increased child subsidies, tax exemptions and expanded parental leave. Private firms, such as Booyoung Group, have offered 100 million won (£55,000) per baby to employees. South Korea even launched a high-speed train – the Great Train eXpress (GTX) – to help improve rates by cutting commute times.
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