Controversy Over Disparaging Remarks About Disabled People Again, Lee Hae-chan Apologizes "Sorry to Disabled Individuals"

"Congenital Disabled People Have Weak Will"
Democratic Party Deletes Video Containing the Remark

Lee Hae-chan, Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea

Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who sparked controversy over remarks belittling people with disabilities, bowed his head on the 15th.

During the '2020 New Year Project: Dialogue with Youth' released on the Democratic Party's official YouTube channel 'Sseum' that day, Lee made the problematic remarks while explaining the recruitment of Professor Choi Hye-young from Gangdong University, the party's 'first recruited talent.'

Lee said, "People with congenital disabilities have disabilities from a young age, so their willpower is said to be somewhat weak," adding, "Those who became disabled due to accidents originally had dreams of living a normal life, so I heard from a psychologist that their willpower is stronger."

He continued, "After talking with Professor Choi, I found her willpower strong and kind," and evaluated, "She overcame adversity and turned it into activities for people with disabilities. She is not an ordinary person."

As the remarks were interpreted as belittling people with disabilities and the controversy grew, Lee issued a separate statement after the video was released, saying, "I quoted a psychologist who said 'people with congenital disabilities tend to have weaker willpower than those with acquired disabilities,'" and apologized, "Such a quote itself was inappropriate and could hurt many people with disabilities."

He added, "I sincerely apologize to people with disabilities and will ensure that such incidents do not happen again, even in future quotations."

The Democratic Party deleted the video from YouTube following the controversy.

Meanwhile, this is not the first time Lee has made remarks belittling people with disabilities.

On December 28 last year, during a greeting at the inauguration ceremony of the National Disability Committee, where disabled party members from across the country gathered, he said, "People who are worse than physically disabled people," but quickly retracted, saying, "Ah, I misspoke." This was an inappropriate remark calling physically disabled people 'pitiful' in front of party members with physical disabilities, a subset of physical disabilities.

Afterward, Lee also claimed, "When you look at what is said in politics, there are so many mentally disabled people that you wonder if they are normal." Although he intended to target some politicians, the remark seemed to equate 'mentally disabled people' with 'abnormal people.'

On the same broadcast, Lee also told a 27-year-old youth who sent a story saying "I have no dreams," "You should not live absentmindedly just because you have no dreams. You have to keep dreaming."

He said, "You have to keep having hope, make efforts, communicate with friends, read books, and nurture your dreams," adding, "People in their generation in the 1950s did not worry much about jobs, but today's youth find it difficult to get jobs, so it is somewhat pitiful."

However, he said, "This will not last long. It will last about 5 to 6 years, and during that time, the government and society must play a good role in guiding the youth," explaining, "Therefore, many pledges related to youth, such as the 'Youth Smart City,' are included in our promises this time."

In response to a question from a 20-year-old youth asking about the timing of introducing a volunteer military system, which the Democratic Party had considered as an election pledge, Lee said, "Our military is becoming more scientific, and the population is decreasing, so eventually there will be a shortage of troops. It is a situation where it cannot be avoided," but added, "We need to proceed step by step with time. Preparatory work must start now."

He added, "If you are 20 years old now, you should naturally serve in the military."

Regarding why people should vote for the Democratic Party in the general election, he emphasized, "We must win the general election to further the reforms demanded by the Candlelight Revolution, to succeed in President Moon Jae-in's overall policies, and to build on that for re-election. Therefore, voting for the Democratic Party is natural."

Regarding the preparation for the general election, Lee said, "In terms of talent recruitment and election preparation, the Liberty Korea Party is far behind us, and we are much ahead in policy development," and evaluated, "The coalition and alliances of the conservative camp do not seem likely to be very successful."

He added, "My dream is to win a landslide victory in the general election and achieve re-election," and said, "Since good claims are made at every election, read the election pledges carefully, judge whether they are feasible, and also check which party they belong to."