Hwang's improper remarks

Liberty Korea Party (LKP) Chairman Hwang Kyoahn has shown a lack of sensitivity toward some of the biggest social issues, such as youth unemployment and treatment of foreigners.

During a June 22 event, Hwang addressed the extreme difficulties faced by young Koreans in getting jobs. As an example of a successful job applicant, he mentioned his son, saying that he was able to get a job at a large company despite allegedly having an unimpressive academic background and low English proficiency score. But later it was found that his son was actually a graduate of one of the top universities in Seoul, in addition to having a very high TOEIC score hovering over 900. Hwang later apologized, saying he was just trying to highlight the importance of acquiring various experiences rather than focusing on high test scores for getting jobs.

Hwang's remarks faced huge backlash from political parties, not to mention from social media users as well. He has hurt many young jobseekers undergoing despair and uncertainty. The main opposition leader may have had the good intention to encourage jobseekers, but the remarks certainly did not have the intended effect.

This is not the first time Hwang has become the center of controversy for making inappropriate remarks. on June 19, he made the audacious claim that foreign workers do not deserve the same wage level as Koreans, saying they have not contributed to Korea's growth. The remark showed a discriminatory view of foreign workers. He later explained he was just trying to point out the fallacies of the minimum wage policy of the Moon Jaein administration.

As a former prime minister and justice minister, Hwang may have been a successful bureaucrat, but as a politician, Hwang is lacking a key capacity ― the ability to communicate with the people and sympathize wholeheartedly with their hardships.