"'Manual labor is something only done in Africa,' Yoon sparks controversy again... Cho Kuk says 'Humanities majors nationwide must respond'"

Yoon Seok-yeol, a preliminary presidential candidate of the People Power Party. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential pre-candidate, sparked another controversy over a 'gaffe' by saying, "Manual labor is something only done in Africa."

Earlier, on the 13th, Yoon attended a meeting at Andong National University and emphasized corporate technology, saying, "There is nothing that can be done by manual labor with hands and feet," adding, "Even India doesn't do that. It's something only Africa does."

He continued, "Engineering and natural sciences are good fields for employment and are very necessary for finding jobs," and stated, "In today's world, humanities can be studied alongside those (engineering and natural sciences). Only a minority of students need to major in humanities during their four years of university and four years of graduate school."

This sparked criticism from both ruling and opposition political circles. It was pointed out that his remarks could be interpreted as belittling not only physical labor but also African countries and the humanities.

On the 15th, Kwon Ji-woong, spokesperson for Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate and Gyeonggi Province governor, issued a statement saying, "Are delivery workers during the COVID-19 pandemic people who do labor only done in Africa?" He raised his voice, asking, "What about labor such as taking care of children, washing dishes, or carrying heavy loads? In which country is that labor done?"

Yoo Seung-min, a competing candidate within the People Power Party and former member of the United Future Party (now People Power Party), criticized the remarks as "showing a narrow perspective and low-level view." Lee Hyo-won, spokesperson for Yoo Seung-min's camp, released a statement that day, saying, "Yoon should apologize deeply to the countless workers who are making a living through physical labor even at this moment and to the humanities scholars who devote their lives to the development of humanities," sharply criticizing Yoon.

Yeo Young-guk, leader of the Justice Party, also posted on his Facebook page that day, urging Yoon to resign from the candidacy. He said, "Yoon Seok-yeol, the ruling party's presidential candidate who might have to ride a police escort bus due to allegations of instigating prosecution," and added, "From disdain for labor to racial discrimination. How much more low-level social awareness does he intend to show? Isn't he ashamed to aspire to be a star with such thinking?"

Yeo further pointed out, "A presidential candidate is chosen by voters based on 'what hope they will give to citizens,'" and criticized, "To become president with a perception that treats citizens who work with their hands and feet risking their lives as vulgar labor is a challenge to constitutional values."

Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk posted on his Facebook on the 15th, criticizing the remarks of Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential pre-candidate of the People Power Party. Photo by Former Minister Cho Kuk Facebook capture.

In particular, Cho Kuk, former Minister of Justice who stands in opposition to Yoon and whose family is under investigation, introduced an article containing Yoon's remarks on his Facebook that day, stating, "The following remarks during a conversation with students at Andong National University have not been reported," and said, "Humanities majors across the country must respond."

Cho Kuk had also directly criticized Yoon's previous gaffe controversies. On July 20, Yoon sparked controversy in an interview with Maeil Business Newspaper by criticizing the government's 52-hour workweek policy, saying, "People should be able to work hard for 120 hours a week and then rest as much as they want."

On the same day, Cho sarcastically responded, calling it "a proposal that opens the 'horizon' of mass overwork deaths," saying, "120 hours divided by 5 (five working days a week) means 24 hours of work per day," mocking the statement.

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