A local official and authorities in a region in southwestern South Korea were forced to apologize after he said last week that women should be "imported" from Vietnam or Sri Lanka for marriage, to raise the birth rate in Jindo Municipality. These statements sparked condemnation in the local press and diplomatic tension. Local media reported that the Vietnamese ambassador to Seoul filed an official complaint.
Published on: 09/02/2026 - 11:28
A South Korean official used the word "inappropriate" to find a solution to cover his region's demographic shortfall. Kim Hee Soo, mayor of Jindo (southwest), suggested last week that remote villages in his country "import" women from Vietnam or Sri Lanka for marriage.
The local authorities in the region apologized for their official’s statement. Its spokesman said that using the phrase “importing” women “offends human dignity.”
The same official also apologized and admitted that he had used the word "inappropriate." These statements sparked condemnation in the local press and diplomatic tension. Local media reported that the Vietnamese ambassador to Seoul filed an official complaint.
South Korea has the lowest fertility rates in the world. According to several estimates, the population will halve by the end of the century, reaching 26.8 million people.
France 24/AFP
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