Jo Eung-cheon "Doubtful of Kim Eun-kyung's Remarks... Harsh Elderly Disparagement"

Kim Eun-kyung, the Innovation Committee Chair of the Democratic Party of Korea, sparked controversy over "elderly disparagement" after saying at a roundtable, "Why should those with a short future vote one-on-one?" Rep. Cho Eung-cheon of the Democratic Party criticized the remark as a "vicious disparagement of the elderly."

On the 1st, Rep. Cho said on BBS's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal,' "I really couldn't believe my ears yesterday. Is this really someone who came to innovate and help our party?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, on the 30th of last month, at a roundtable with young people in their 20s and 30s at a cafe in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, Chair Kim introduced her son's opinion, saying, "Voting should be proportional from one's age to the remaining lifespan, from a mother's age to the remaining lifespan," and added, "Isn't that quite reasonable?" She then mentioned, "In democratic countries, 'one person, one vote' is a practical difficulty but a correct principle," and sparked controversy by stating, "Why should those with a short future vote one-on-one?"

Rep. Cho criticized Chair Kim's remark, saying, "There is an African proverb that says, 'When an old person dies, a library is lost.' Elderly people have accumulated wisdom and experience in life," and added, "She has a distorted understanding of the basic concept of the electoral system, which is the flower of democracy."

Kim Eun-kyung, Chair of the Innovation Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, is holding a press briefing at the National Assembly on the 12th, outlining the future direction of the Innovation Committee's activities. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Rep. Cho also referred to other verbal controversies involving Chair Kim. He said, "'There is a thought that the money envelope incident might have been fabricated by the prosecution,' about former leader Lee Nak-yeon, 'It is inappropriate to try to save factions,' and 'First-term lawmakers' academic decline is like that of students during COVID-19.' Even before coming, she labeled 'Democratic Party incumbent lawmakers as vested interests,' and said, 'It would be better if she appeared less on broadcasts or spoke less.'

He also expressed skepticism about the innovation plan and process presented by the Innovation Committee. Rep. Cho pointed out, "The innovation plan you have presented now?did it cause our party to have moral problems and internal democracy to be distorted like this?" and added, "(The ongoing innovation process) will never receive a good evaluation."

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