Controversy Over Ageism: Min Kyung-woo Says "My Words Were Excessive... But There Are Aspects That Can Be Considered Mitigating"

"Consider the Context of the Remarks... Apologized Immediately at the Time"

Min Kyung-woo, the executive director of the civic group Gil and former member of the People Power Party's Emergency Response Committee who resigned amid controversy over his 'elderly disparagement' remarks, said, "The words themselves were excessive," and apologized, stating, "I apologize to the Korea Senior Citizens Association and the elderly."

On the 4th, Min appeared on Channel A's radio show 'Political Signal' and said, "I remember it was October 17th, and my remarks at the debate that day were wrong." However, Min added, "There is room to consider the context of the (elderly disparagement) remarks, and since I apologized immediately afterward, in some ways, there may be grounds for leniency."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, after being nominated as an emergency response committee member, Min sparked controversy when it was revealed that he said on a conservative-leaning YouTube channel in October, "The greatest tragedy right now is that old people live too long. They should hurry up and go." However, the controversy intensified as Han Dong-hoon, the chairman of the People Power Party's emergency response committee, appointed Min as planned, and ultimately, Min voluntarily resigned on the 30th of last month.

Min said, "At first, when the elderly disparagement remarks became an issue, I did not think it would become such a big problem," adding, "But as the second and third issues emerged consecutively, I felt this was not a simple matter."

He continued, "Seeing the situation, it did not seem likely to calm down easily, and the opposition seemed to be intensifying their offensive, so I resigned to avoid causing harm to the 'Han Dong-hoon Emergency Committee.'"

Regarding the background of his joining the emergency committee, he said, "When Minister Han Dong-hoon became the chairman of the emergency response committee, he put the issue of purging activist politics at the forefront," adding, "If purging activist politics is the issue, I am the right person, and since I have been working on that for about three years, I thought it was necessary to support the Han Dong-hoon emergency committee in that area."

He continued, "He (Chairman Han) wanted to make purging activist politics a key agenda, thought I was the right person, and asked me to help. Since it matched well with what I have been doing, I gladly accepted."

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