"If Vegetarians Are Harmful, Then All Greek and Roman Mythology and the Bible Should Be Burned"

The nationwide parents' organization, the National Parents' Association Federation (Jeonhakyeon), opposed stocking Han Kang's novel The Vegetarian in libraries, claiming it is harmful to youth. In response, accountant Kim Kyung-yul pointed out, "Should we also ban Roman mythology and Dangun mythology?" On the 23rd, Kim shared an article on his social media stating that 10,000 people signed a petition opposing the stocking of The Vegetarian in libraries.

The National Library of Korea announced on the 21st that it will operate a special Hangang bookshelf on the 2nd floor of the Literature Room in the main building of the National Library of Korea in Seocho-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

원본보기 아이콘

Regarding the article's reason for opposing the stocking?"it contains content where a brother-in-law and sister-in-law have an inappropriate relationship"?he said, "I fully agree with Jeonhakyeon's claim." He further wrote, "Moreover, all books related to Greco-Roman mythology should be burned, and Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides should be arrested."

He continued, "What about the Dangun myth? It reminds one of bestiality between a bear and a tiger. Dangun should also be investigated and arrested," adding, "The Bible is full of arrogance, immorality, and inappropriate depictions. What about psychoanalysis?" He sarcastically concluded, "I hereby prohibit literature, arts, and philosophy on the sacred land of Joseon."

Earlier, Jeonhakyeon announced that 195 organizations and 10,474 people participated in a petition opposing the stocking of The Vegetarian in elementary, middle, and high school libraries as well as public libraries' children and youth sections. Jeonhakyeon stated, "The book The Vegetarian contains content where a brother-in-law and sister-in-law have an inappropriate relationship," and added, "Parents are horrified by the attempt to stock such an extreme and violent book nationwide in school libraries just because it is a work by a Nobel laureate."

Jeonhakyeon argued, "The youth harmful media review standards include 'sexual or obscene content that stimulates sexual desire in youth,' and The Vegetarian falls under this category," emphasizing, "Just as a '19+ (restricted to adults) movie' cannot become suitable for youth viewing simply because it won an Academy Award, books should also have age restrictions."

The Vegetarian was discarded last year from a school library in the Gyeonggi region due to issues with sexual content. During a National Assembly education committee audit held on the 22nd, opposition party lawmakers criticized this as 'book censorship' and demanded an apology from Lim Tae-hee, Superintendent of Education of Gyeonggi Province.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.