Ruling party lawmaker compares Sewol families to “homeless people”

Posted on : 2014-08-02 13:26 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Kim Tae-heum says family members holding a hunger strike in front of the National Assembly are an eyesore
 Aug. 1. (by Kim Kyung-ho
Aug. 1. (by Kim Kyung-ho

By Cho Hye-jeong and Seo Bo-mi, staff reporters

A lawmaker ignited a firestorm with remarks comparing protesting family members of Sewol ferry sinking victims to “homeless people.”

 staff photographer)
staff photographer)

Saenuri Party (NFP) lawmaker Kim Tae-heum’s remarks on Aug. 1 about the protesters hunger strike in front of the National Assembly for a 19th day to demand an investigation and passage of a special law on the sinking, were taken by many as a sign that the party, buoyed by a blowout win in this week’s by-election, is now shifting from dragging its feet on resolving the tragedy to being openly hostile toward the families.

Kim’s remarks came during a meeting with reporters after the first Saenuri Party lawmakers’ general meeting since the by-election on July 30.

“It’s not desirable to have [the family members] like that at the National Assembly,” Kim said. “To have, I don’t know, homeless people . . . it’s not desirable.”

In a telephone conversation with the Hankyoreh, Kim elaborated on his remarks.

“They’re putting lines up and hanging their laundry [in front of the National Assembly],” he said. “How does that look to people? It looks like what homeless people do.”

“The reason is because Speaker Chung Ui-hwa gave [the family members] permission to hold their sit-in,” Kim added. “It’s not desirable to have them coming here [to the National Assembly] and acting that way every time something happens and they feel they’ve been victimized.”

Kim also voiced his displeasure in free remarks at the lawmakers’ meeting, arguing the building should not be opened up to people “protesting over something that happened.” Spokesman and fellow lawmaker Ham Jin-gyu reportedly expressed agreement with Kim’s remarks.

Meanwhile, the Saenuri Party announced the same day that it planned to set up a special Sewol victims’ support committee to meet with family members and discuss support measures.

“We planned to approach things in a more forward-thinking and preemptive way, with a clearer position on victims’ issues than before the by-election,” said floor leader Lee Wan-koo.

But many saw the response as an attempt to shift the focus to supporting the victims without addressing the key issue - their demands for a thorough investigation into the tragedy.

Observers took the lawmakers’ callous remarks on the as-yet-unresolved issue, and the stronger hardliner presence, as signs of confidence in the wake of the party’s by-election win. They also appear tied to the “return to normal” message voiced by President Park Geun-hye, who left for a vacation on July 28. The time has come, they suggest, to move on from the Sewol and go back to “normal.”

Even observers within the Saenuri Party were critical of the behavior. Appearing on a CBS radio show the same day, Chung-Ang University emeritus professor Lee Sang-don, who served as a member of the ruling party’s emergency committee, sounded a note of caution.

“If they think the public has placed their trust in the government and Saenuri Party once again even after the Sewol tragedy, they could end up losing in a major election,” Lee warned.

“The victims’ family members want to know the truth, and the only way the party in power going to get a good outcome in the long term is if it comes out in a forward-thinking way on issues like this,” he added.

Kim Tae-heum
Kim Tae-heum

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

button that move to original korean article (클릭시 원문으로 이동하는 버튼)

Related stories

Most viewed articles