Choo Mi-ae's 'One-Eyed' Remark Draws Calls for Apology from Both Ruling and Opposition Parties as Disability Insult

Lee Sang-min of the Democratic Party: "Below standard expressions... Correct and apologize"
Jang Hye-young: "Political views can be expressed sufficiently without using derogatory language"

Former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae. / Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Former Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae defended TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' and described other media outlets as "reporting with one eye," drawing criticism from both ruling and opposition parties as 'discriminatory against people with disabilities.'

Lee Sang-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, wrote on Facebook on the 25th, "No one should make discriminatory or hateful remarks about others, whether consciously or unconsciously," and pointed out, "Nevertheless, inhumane behaviors such as discrimination, hatred, mockery, and exclusion still persist."

Lee continued, addressing former Minister Chu, "I hope that former Minister Chu did not intend to demean people with disabilities by using such a low-level expression, but since it is undoubtedly wrong, I urge you to promptly correct it and apologize," adding, "We all need deep reflection. I will expedite the proposal of the Equality Act or Anti-Discrimination Act."

Earlier, on the 23rd, former Minister Chu claimed regarding 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' and the media, which have been criticized for bias, "The problem is not that News Factory is politically biased, but that other media outlets are too caught up in 'media commercialism.'"

She added, "It is wrong for media outlets that do not enjoy free editorial rights and report with one eye to criticize News Factory, which reports with both eyes without having to watch out for anyone other than the citizens."

Lee Sang-min, member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yonhap News

In response, Jang Hye-young, a member of the Justice Party, also stated on her Facebook on the 24th, "(Former Minister Chu's) remarks are clearly discriminatory against people with disabilities," and "We demand an immediate correction of the discriminatory expression and a sincere apology." Jang has been outspoken in politics whenever hateful remarks against socially vulnerable groups arise.

Jang further emphasized, "One can express their political views without using expressions that demean disabilities," and "As former Minister Chu Mi-ae has publicly stressed the necessity of the Anti-Discrimination Act multiple times, I hope she accepts the criticism of her discriminatory remarks and shows a model example of improvement."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.