Presidential secretary likely to depart amid controversy over remarks on homosexuality

Kim Seong-hoi, presidential secretary for religious and multicultural affairs, is seen in this screen grab from a YouTube video September 2021. Captured from YouTube

A presidential secretary is expected to quit amid controversy over his past remarks on homosexuality and wartime sex slaves, an official said Friday.

Kim Seong-hoi, presidential secretary for religious and multicultural affairs, has come under fire following revelations he described homosexuality as "a type of mental disease," among other views he posted on Facebook.

"It appears his future will be decided as early as today," the official with the presidential office told Yonhap News Agency, noting it is still unclear whether he will resign or be dismissed.

Kim's departure would be the first such case since the launch of the new administration Tuesday.

In another Facebook post, he used a word for "money for sex" to describe calls for Japan's payment of reparations to Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II.

He later issued an apology, but it backfired, as he claimed that under the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), "half the female population were objects of sexual pleasure for the noblemen, who were their masters at any time."

The presidential office said in a notice to reporters that Kim has never expressed his intention to resign nor has a decision been made on his future. (Yonhap)

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