Minkyung Woo's 'Elderly Disparagement' Controversy... Han Donghoon's Emergency Committee Stumbles from the Start? (Comprehensive)

Controversy Over Appointee's Remarks in Emergency Committee... Ruling Party Defense
"Must Apologize Profusely, But... Not Resignation"

Regarding Min Kyung-woo, the nominated emergency committee member of the People Power Party, and his derogatory remarks about the elderly, members of the ruling party have acknowledged that the comments were inappropriate but are also defending them as a simple slip of the tongue.

Hong Seok-joon, a People Power Party lawmaker, said on the CBS radio program 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 29th, "Looking at the overall context, there was absolutely no intention to belittle the elderly." However, he mentioned that there were some inappropriate remarks that could be understood as derogatory toward the elderly and advised, "He should clearly express his true intentions."

Yoon Hee-seok, senior spokesperson for the People Power Party, also defended the remarks as a mistake made during speaking. On KBS 1 Radio's special program 'Today,' Yoon said, "Ultimately, it meant that the younger generation needs to grow quickly," adding, "It came out while emphasizing that society needs change, and he immediately apologized."

Mingyeong Woo, nominee for the People Power Party Emergency Committee member. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Yoon emphasized, "Even so, we must continue to apologize for the discomfort felt by those who heard the remarks."

Jo Jung-hoon, a People Power Party lawmaker, called the remarks inappropriate but drew the line at resignation. On SBS radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' Jo said, "He was wrong and must apologize a hundred, a thousand times," adding, "He should visit the Korea Senior Citizens Association and sincerely apologize, explaining that it was not his intention, that he was foolish and made inappropriate remarks, and continue apologizing until their hearts are eased."

Regarding resignation, Jo said, "If he had said, 'So what if I said that?' then resignation could be considered, but he immediately apologized on air," and dismissed the idea by saying, "If one has to apologize and resign just for one remark, then I probably wouldn't be able to do anything either."

Min, the nominee, sparked controversy over derogatory remarks about the elderly after it was revealed that he said on a conservative YouTube channel last October, "The greatest tragedy right now is that old people live too long. They should hurry up and go." At the time, Min made the remarks while emphasizing the need for generational change but seemed aware of the controversy and immediately apologized, saying, "I'm sorry."

The Korea Senior Citizens Association has demanded Min's resignation. Kim Ho-il, president of the association, issued a statement the day before, saying, "We are appalled by the decision to appoint Director Min Kyung-woo as an emergency committee member," and added, "If the People Power Party wants to gain the support of the 10 million elderly voters in next April's general election, they must immediately remove the controversial nominee Min from the emergency committee and have Emergency Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon, who made this mistake, apologize immediately."

In response, Min apologized once again, saying, "I have absolutely no intention of belittling the elderly." In a statement issued through the party under the title 'Emergency Committee Nominee,' he said, "This was a mistake made in the process of emphasizing the social role of the younger generation, and I had already immediately expressed an apology on the same broadcast, saying 'I'm sorry' for using extreme expressions."

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