Baek Hyeryun Criticizes Excessive Feminist Attacks on Athlete Ansan: "National Disgrace... Opposition Party Should State Their Position"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] The leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea raised their voices, saying that the feminist controversy surrounding archery national representative athlete Ansan has gone too far, urging not to judge unrelated matters to the competition but to support the athlete's efforts themselves.

On the 30th, Baek Hye-ryun, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, mentioned the situation where Ansan is being labeled a feminist for having a 'shortcut' hairstyle during the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in the morning, criticizing, "They are slandering the athlete with nonsensical words." She emphasized, "The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, and the Archery Association should step up to protect the athlete."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Supreme Council member Baek said, "There has been an absurd claim that Ansan should undergo an ideological test and even have her medals stripped just because of 'shortcut is feminist, women's university is feminist' type remarks," adding, "Foreign media are not reporting on our athletes' indomitable fighting spirit and efforts but are instead sensationalizing articles about Ansan being abused online. It is a national embarrassment."

She also pressured the People Power Party to issue a statement regarding this matter.

She said, "It is shameful and infuriating," and added, "I hope the People Power Party presidential candidates, including leader Lee Jun-seok who politically exploit gender conflicts and advocate for the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, clearly state their position on the feminist attacks against Ansan."

Supreme Council member Baek added, "We should support the athlete's efforts themselves, rather than focusing on external factors unrelated to the competition or the presence or color of medals."

On the same day, Supreme Council member Lee Dong-hak also pointed out, "The attacks on Ansan have gone too far," saying, "Short hair is a personal preference and can be convenient for training." He continued, "She is a national representative of the Republic of Korea and a proud young person. We must oppose any discrimination based on appearance."

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