"Would you feel good if the word 'porn' overlaps with the general perception and you are labeled as 'poverty porn'?"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] On the 17th, Jo Eun-hee, a member of the People Power Party, criticized Jang Kyung-tae of the Democratic Party of Korea, who described First Lady Kim Geon-hee's visit to a child with heart disease during her trip to Cambodia as "poverty porn," saying, "I think it was very deliberately planned and that word was chosen, resulting in a form of sexual harassment."
Jo said, "If it were 'poverty cosplay,' I might understand, but he used the term 'poverty porn,'" adding, "The word 'porn' overlaps with the perception generally held by the public."
She continued, "Photos are taken whenever the First Lady visits somewhere," and questioned, "Jang Kyung-tae also takes photos when he goes somewhere. He himself lived in a semi-basement and comes from a dirt spoon background. I went to an event with him a few days ago, and he kept talking about it. If someone said he was doing 'poverty porn,' would he feel good?"
She added, "If someone from our party or others called Kim Jung-sook's trip to the Taj Mahal on a private plane 'tourism porn,' wouldn't the public say that's too much?"
Regarding Jang's statement that he would express regret if First Lady Kim was offended, Jo dismissed it as "wordplay," saying, "We know the First Lady would not respond to every remark."
Female lawmakers of the People Power Party demanded Jang's apology and resignation from his position the day before to hold him accountable for the 'poverty porn' remark. However, Jo drew the line at legal actions such as defamation.
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