Judge Selected as ‘Mouth to Sew Up’
April 28th, 2009 by MONGJudge Selected as ‘Mouth to Sew Up’
By Bae Ji-sook (Staff Reporter)
In English, people tell someone speaking unsettling words to “shut up.” Here, however people use the phrase, “sew one’s mouth.” The women’s rights group Unnine (unninet.net) recently selected five “mouths that needed sewing,” who uttered biased and sexist comments against women.
The grand prize, the “Sewing Machine Award,” went to Judge Oh Jun-geun of the Cheongju District Court who gave suspended sentences to four family members of a mentally challenged girl, who had constantly raped her for more than seven years at their home.
Oh said the offenders took care of the victim for years and that they were too old ㅡ considering the rapists were the girl’s grandfather and uncles ㅡ to endure prison life. He also ordered the victim to be returned to the offenders’ home, which caused outrage not only among women’s rights activists but other civic groups as well.
The second “Glue Award” went to Rep. Chung Mong-joon of the ruling Grand National Party who derogatively patted a female reporter’s cheek in April and said he did it because he did not have enough sleep. Chung initially denied allegations but reluctantly and belatedly expressed regret after his colleagues advised him to make a quick apology.
The third “Knitting Needle Award” went to Gyeonggi council members who went to see the headquarters of sports utility maker Nike in March in the U.S. and took photos of themselves touching the crotch and breasts of the female Nike statue. They were banned from access to the building and soon became objects of international ridicule.
Others nominated for their loose lips included Supreme Court Judge Kim Hwang-shik who ruled that a man who tried to take indiscreet photos of the legs of a woman wearing a miniskirt was not guilty of invasion of privacy.
Rep. Hong Jung-wook of the GNP and TV host Kim Gu-ra were also on the list. Hong bragged about having dated women from nine different countries in the past. “I did it for the sake of Korean men ㅡ to enhance their status. I considered myself a representative of all Korean males,” he said. Kim also made the list for remarks humiliating women. Among such remarks were: “It’s better to drink with men than an unattractive woman.”
12-23-2008 18:27 The Korea Times
MONG