The proposal to import Sri Lankan brides for marriage with South Korean grooms has caused controversy.

A statement made by Kim Hee-soo, the mayor of Jindo County in South Jeolla Province, suggesting that young women should be 'imported' from countries like Sri Lanka and Vietnam as a solution to South Korea's rapidly declining population crisis, has sparked considerable controversy. The mayor put forward this idea during a city council meeting held on the 4th of last month at the Haenam Cultural and Arts Center in South Korea. The meeting was organized to discuss the integration of Gwangju and South Jeolla provincial administrations.

The mayor pointed out that 20% of the country's depopulated areas are located in his province, emphasizing that immediate legislative action must be taken to resolve this crisis. He accused the government, scholars, and authorities of failing to provide proper solutions despite predictions of population decline since the 2000s, and stated that cities and counties cannot overcome this problem alone given the current situation.

The most discussed point here was his proposal that measures against population decline should be legislated during the integration of Gwangju and South Jeolla, and that if all other methods fail, a special program should be devised to bring in young women from Sri Lanka or Vietnam to marry unmarried men in rural areas. He questioned how industries could be sustained without people, and his statement about 'importing young women' was met with laughter in the meeting hall.

However, Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-jung, responding to this statement, strongly opposed and rejected the idea with a wave of his hand. He pointed out that the idea of bringing in foreigners for marriage was misguided, emphasizing that birth rates and population could only be increased by establishing industries within the region. He further noted that despite decades of investment, the expected results were not achieved, and there was no alternative other than developing industries.

Although an attempt was made to show that industrial integration alone is not enough to solve the decline in rural population, many have criticized the portrayal of foreign women as 'importable goods' and the naming of specific countries. Participants in the meeting stated that this remark lacked sensitivity regarding multiculturalism, human rights, and gender, and reflected an attitude that views foreigners merely as laborers or marriage prospects.

(Based on a Chosun website news report)