All members of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) will refrain from remarks offending certain generations, the party’s floor leader said Wednesday, after the party’s innovation chief apologized over remarks denounced as demeaning to old people.
The pledge came after Kim Eun-kyung, the chief of the DP’s innovation committee, came under fire after she made remarks to the effect that it would be reasonable to make the right to vote proportional to one’s remaining life span.
Critics denounced her remarks as a slight on old people.
Kim later apologized, saying she did not mean to offend older generations.
On Wednesday, the DP floor leader said all party members will be more careful about what they say.
“The chief of the innovation committee, Kim Eun-kyung expressed an apology for her remarks on old people. All members of the DP will refrain from any words or actions that can hurt a certain generation,” Rep. Park Kwang-on said during a party meeting.
Park added that the DP will make policy efforts to enhance the well-being of older people.
“It is not an exaggeration to say that the Republic of Korea was built on the sacrifice and dedication of the generation of our fathers and mothers … Promoting harmony between the old, the middle-aged and the youth, as well as resolving generational conflicts have been an important policy stance of the DP,” he said.
Rep. Yang Yiwonyoung, who also came under fire for agreeing with Kim’s remarks, apologized as well.
“I am very sorry to have caused a misunderstanding with my words. They misrepresented my thoughts. I was not intending to belittle or look down on political participation by old people,” she said in a Facebook post.
Previously, Yang wrote a social media post openly agreeing with Kim’s remarks, saying “many who are voting now, may not even be alive in the future.” She, however, quickly deleted the post amid heavy backlash.
The DP is not considering any disciplinary measures against her, considering she has apologized and admitted to the wrongdoings, Rep. Park Sung-joon, the spokesperson for the DP said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency