Overview
- Jindo County Gov. Kim Hee-su said Jeolla should "import young women from Sri Lanka or Vietnam" so rural bachelors can marry, framing it as a population fix.
- The remark was made on Feb. 4 during a Gwangju–South Jeolla integration town hall at the Haenam Culture and Arts Center, which was broadcast live on YouTube.
- More than 15,000 livestream viewers lodged complaints, and Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-jung called the proposal inappropriate.
- Attendees criticized the language as dehumanizing and insensitive to multicultural communities, human rights and gender concerns.
- South Jeolla said three more town meetings will gather resident input, with the final session on Feb. 13, as official data list 13 Jeolla jurisdictions at high risk of disappearing due to population loss.