Byeon Chang-heum: "Women are cautious about having breakfast together because of makeup"

"'Poor people shouldn't even eat out' is an exaggerated and unfair claim"

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee Byeon Chang-heum is attending the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 23rd, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] On the 23rd, Byeon Chang-heum, the nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, sparked controversy by saying, “In our culture, people do not have breakfast with strangers. Especially for women, having breakfast together is very delicate because of makeup,” while explaining his previous remark during his tenure as president of Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH) that “poor people cook and eat at home, why would they be crazy enough to buy food.”

At the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee confirmation hearing that day, Byeon said, “I was talking about whether the culture actually fits when reducing kitchens and creating (shared dining halls) on the premise of having breakfast.”

Byeon explained, “I meant that for those with lower economic ability, buying breakfast is also a financial burden, so it would be problematic to design it solely on the assumption that they buy breakfast,” adding, “It is very unfair to leap to the conclusion that ‘poor people should not eat out’ without context.”

Regarding his statement that ‘car-free residents should be selected for Happy Housing tenants,’ Byeon said, “Building parking lots requires digging underground, which is very costly,” and added, “College students living in rental housing don’t usually drive cars.”

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