Vietnam embassy objects to S.Korean county head’s remarks on ‘importing Vietnamese women’

The embassy said it had sent a diplomatic note to the governor of South Jeolla Province and Jindo County objecting to comments made by Jindo County head Kim Hee Soo.

At an official government forum, Kim suggested special measures such as bringing in young women from overseas to marry rural men.

The remarks, reported by South Korean media over the past two days, sparked criticism in South Korea and among the Vietnamese community, with commentators saying the language showed a lack of respect for human rights, multicultural values, and gender sensitivity.

In its note on Friday, the Vietnamese embassy said the two countries had built a relationship of friendship, cooperation, and equality over more than three decades.

Their comprehensive strategic partnership delivers significant results and the Vietnamese community in South Korea makes important contributions.

The embassy said respect for the dignity and honor of citizens, particularly women, was a shared value of both nations, adding that language such as "importing Vietnamese women" was inappropriate and should be acknowledged and corrected.

South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo reported on Friday that Kim had apologized for using the term "import," saying his comments were intended to highlight structural challenges linked to population decline, falling marriage rates, and low birth rates in rural areas.

Kim said he did not intend to demean any country or individuals and apologized to anyone who may have been offended by the remarks, according to the report.