Jindo County Chief Kim Hee-su sparked controversy by mentioning the issue of population extinction during a live broadcast at a public event and saying, "Let's import virgin women from Sri Lanka or Vietnam." As the remarks were carried as-is on YouTube and elsewhere, criticism spread, and Kim later issued an apology and pledged to prevent a recurrence.
According to Jindo County and others on the 5th, Kim said the previous day at the Gwangju-Jeonnam administrative integration "on-site town hall meeting" held at the Haenam Culture and Arts Center, while discussing responses to population decline, "When Gwangju and Jeonnam integrate, we should legislate measures on population extinction, and if we really can't do it, we should import some young virgin women from places like Sri Lanka or Vietnam to marry off rural bachelors." He added, "We need to find special measures; if we only revive industry when there are no people, it cannot work properly."
On site, there was an immediate attempt to stop the remark. Kang Gi-jung, the Gwangju mayor, who took the question, said, "There may be various solutions, but importing foreign brides seems wrong."
As the controversy grew, Kim issued an apology the same day. Kim explained, "The remarks were made to point out the structural problems of severe population decline in rural and fishing areas and the weakening foundation for marriage and childbirth, and to say that the population extinction issue cannot be solved by industrial revitalization alone, so institutional responses at the level of the integrated Gwangju-Jeonnam local governments and the state are needed."
However, he acknowledged that the way he expressed it was inappropriate. Kim said, "I intended to say we should increase the inflow of foreign single women, but I made a mistake by choosing the word 'import,' making an inappropriate remark," and added, "I once again apologize to those who may have been hurt by this comment."