Past Column: "The Best Cure for Cancer is Marriage," "3m Stethoscope for Female Patients"
Democratic Party Raises Issues on Sexist Views and Minister's Qualifications... Calls for Voluntary Resignation
Jung Ho-young: "I Apologize Deeply if Anyone Felt Uncomfortable or Hurt"
Health and Welfare Minister nominee Jeong Ho-young is meeting with the press and sharing his thoughts as he arrives at the National Assembly hearing preparation office set up at the National Pension Service Chungjeongno building in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 12th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Controversy continues over a column previously contributed by Jeong Ho-young, former director of Kyungpook National University Hospital and nominee for Minister of Health and Welfare under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. The Democratic Party of Korea, which had promised rigorous scrutiny, has launched sharp criticism, stating that Jeong is unfit to lead the health and welfare control tower.
Jeong, who was a professor of surgery at Kyungpook National University Hospital, contributed a column titled "The Path of Patriotism" to the Maeil Newspaper on October 29, 2012. In the column, Jeong stated, "Looking back now, I think there has never been a time as easy to be patriotic as today. The so-called 'right timing' is marriage and childbirth," adding, "Just by getting married, one can immediately become a prospective patriot, and if it leads to childbirth, one finally joins the ranks of patriots." He pointed to women's marriage rates as a cause of Korea's low birthrate and encouraged marriage, even claiming that "the special cure for cancer is marriage."
On November 18, 2013, he published another column titled "3m Stethoscope" in the same newspaper. In this column, Jeong mocked the amendment to the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles Against Sexual Abuse, which included medical professionals among the restricted employment categories for sex offenders, saying, "The Korean Medical Association recently posted on their official Facebook page a photo of a 3-meter-long stethoscope with the following notice: 'Korean-style stethoscope group purchase is starting. The doctor stays 3 meters away, and the female patient places the stethoscope on her own body according to the doctor's instructions.'"
The Democratic Party criticized Jeong's appointment and called for his voluntary resignation. On the 12th, Representative Chun Jun-ho said at a party strategy meeting, "President-elect Yoon's claim of no quotas or arrangements seems to have been a pretext for friend favoritism," and criticized, "Jeong, who is a 40-year friend of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, shows inappropriate perceptions and expressions that are very shocking." He added, "Jeong blames women for low birthrates by equating marriage and childbirth with patriotism, mocks the inclusion of medical professionals in restricted employment for sex offenders, and suggests using a 3-meter stethoscope for examinations, raising doubts about his qualifications as a doctor."
Representative Ko Min-jung also urged the withdrawal of Jeong's nomination. She posted on her Facebook, "Jeong's outdated mindset is even more serious. We cannot entrust the control tower of low birthrate policy to a candidate who regards marriage and childbirth as patriotism and the special cure for cancer, treating women merely as tools for childbirth." Ko further criticized, "Jeong's column revealed his alignment with a medical association that seems to shift responsibility for sexual crimes from medical staff to female patients. This distorted perception, which blames female victims rather than perpetrators, is shameful."
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol announced the inaugural cabinet list at the 20th Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 10th. From left to right: Won Hee-ryong, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; Kim Hyun-sook, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family; Park Bo-gyun, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Choo Kyung-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance nominee; Han Duck-soo, Prime Minister nominee; President-elect Yoon; Lee Jong-sup, Ministry of National Defense; Lee Chang-yang, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; Jung Ho-young, Ministry of Health and Welfare; Lee Jong-ho, Ministry of Science and ICT nominee. Photo by Transition Committee Press Corps
Supreme Council member Kang Byung-won criticized that there is no novelty, freshness, or newness in President-elect Yoon's appointments. Appearing on KBS Radio's "Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs," he questioned, "Jeong is said to be a 40-year friend of President-elect Yoon, but was he really chosen based on ability?" He added, "For the Minister of Health and Welfare, it is appropriate to appoint an expert well-known in pensions, health, or welfare. However, it seems a relatively unfamiliar figure was appointed simply because he is a 40-year friend of the president-elect. The public will judge whether this appointment was based on competence or personal connections."
Meanwhile, Jeong apologized for the controversy surrounding his past columns. On his way to the office set up in the National Pension Service building in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, he told reporters, "As a former surgery professor, I wrote the article to simply explain my deep concern about the low birthrate phenomenon. If anyone felt uncomfortable or hurt by it, I sincerely apologize."
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