A high-ranking Education Ministry official, who recently made controversial remarks on social mobility and race, has been asked to temporarily leave his post and wait for a further decision, following growing calls for his permanent expulsion from the ministry.

Na Hyang-wook, currently the ministry’s policy planning bureau chief, reportedly called the general public “dogs and pigs” and said the government should just make sure “they are fed and alive” at a recent drinking gathering with reporters from a local daily in Seoul.

When the reporters asked Na to define “the general public” for them, the official reportedly said they are “the 99 percent of all Koreans.”

The official, who defined himself as a “person who tries hard to belong to the remaining 1 percent,” also argued that there should be a stricter caste system in Korea, and the general public should accept the fact that equality is nothing but an unattainable illusion. 
The official also shared his views on the race-based “caste system” that he thinks currently exists in the U.S., claiming that African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans, “don’t even try to climb the social ladder” and have no ambition in politics.

“All the senators and representatives have to do is to provide a means of survival for such people in the U.S.,” Na reportedly told reporters.

One of the most controversial remarks made by Na that night was his comments on the case of a 19-year-old contract worker who died in May at Guui Station in Seoul. He was killed by an incoming train after getting stuck behind a platform screen door that he was trying to repair.

The reporters challenged Na that night, arguing his own children may belong to the 99 percent should they fail to secure full-time employment. “Think about the victim who was killed at Guui station – how would you feel if the victim were your own child?” the reporters asked Na.

The official said those who say they empathize with the specific case were “hypocrites” and that he could not really imagine (the possibility) of such labor accident happening to his own children. A caste-driven society is more “practical” than societies where social mobility is possible and fluid,  he added.

The reporters told him that they may publish his remarks and asked him for his official explanation, but he declined to comment further, they said.

According to local studies, social immobility is becoming more prevalent among the younger generation in South Korea, especially in terms of their access to education and housing. A report by the Korea institute for Health and Social Affairs showed that as of last year, 89 percent of Koreans in their 20s and 30s who received higher education also had university-educated parents.

Following the news report on Friday, all three opposition parties released statements criticizing both Na and the Education Ministry. “Na’s comments are beyond shocking. They give us a sense of despair,” the Minjoo Party of Korea said in a statement. “As his job is to oversee the nation’s education policies, the Education Ministry is also responsible for what he said. The ministry needs to reform itself.”

The People’s Party asked for Na’s resignation, while the Justice Ministry asked for an official apology from the government.

The Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations also released a statement, asking for a thorough investigation of the case and disciplinary measures against Na.

Na, who passed his civil service examination back in 1993, previously served as the secretary for Education Minister, an administrative officer at Cheong Wa Dae for former President Lee Myung-bak, as well as an officer at the Education Ministry’s University Support Bureau before being promoted to his latest position in March.

“Both Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations should provide an explanation on how someone like Na was given such important positions in the ministry, as well as on what grounds he was promoted in March,” said the nongovernmental organization People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy in a statement, while asking for Na’s permanent expulsion. 

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)