Lawmakers who use abusive language

When asked what his New Year’s wish was Jan. 22 this year, Rep. Kim Kwang-jin of the main opposition Democratic United Party was belatedly found to reply in a retweet, “Sudden death of Myung-bak,” referring to President Lee Myung-bak. No matter how intense the hate, a man should not make this type of comment to another man regardless of whether the target is the president or an ordinary person. Kim used a double negative expression in commenting on his retweet, showing how twisted and distorted his personality is.

Kim made the controversial post before being elected, but even after he entered parliament, he continued to use lewd and abusive language. He called the late retired general Baek Seon-yeop a “betrayer of the Korean people” in a hearing for the parliamentary inspection of the government Monday. Considered one of the country`s most respected Korean War heroes, Baek joined the military at age 26, or five years younger than Kim, who turned 31 this year, and saved South Korea from the brink of collapse in the wake of North Korea’s invasion. Kim’s way of thinking is dirty at best, as he disregards Baek’s heroism in the war by calling him a betrayer of the Korean people. The lawmaker emphasizes Baek`s personal history of having been born under Japanese colonial rule and serving as an officer in the Japanese imperial military as a youth. Kim is a member of the parliamentary defense committee, and his hatred of Baek constitutes an insult to the military as a whole.

Kim is not the only Democratic United Party lawmaker to use abusive language. In a tweet in August, Rep. Lee Jong-geol called ruling Saenuri Party presidential candidate Park Geun-hye “Geun Yeon (That bitch).” When outrage flared over his post, he made a flurry of excuses, saying, “Geunyeon is short for ‘that woman,’” and “It was due to a typographical error.” Rep. Lee, however, went back to using foul language by saying, “The expression was too moderate, and it should`ve been even tougher,” earning widespread condemnation. While in a verbal dispute with a former North Korean defector who was a college student in South Korea, Rep. Lim Soo-kyung said, “These sons of bitches, North Korean defectors, who have no background or understanding of matters, are you defying a lawmaker of the Republic of Korea?”

The main opposition party named Kim a candidate under the proportional representation system as a member of the younger generation representing those in their 20s and 30s, and held him to almost no qualification requirements. The party should be held accountable for the use of abusive language by such lawmakers since it enabled them to be elected. When controversy erupted over his “sudden death of Myung-bak” tweet, Rep. Kim arrogantly responded by saying, “I made the remark as a young ordinary man before becoming a lawmaker. If one cannot use such satire, is this a free country?” If the party has any memory of the damage it suffered due to Kim Yong-min, the liberal blogger who made derogatory statements ahead of the April general election, it must pressure Rep. Kim to make a preemptive apology. Because of lawmakers who recklessly use abusive language, the election camp of independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo is proposing a reduction in the number of National Assembly members.