Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party of Korea, left, and Hong Jun-pyo of the Liberty Korea Party debate during Tuesday's presidential poll debate on JTBC. / Yonhap



By Eom Da-sol, Park Si-soo

Conservative presidential candidate Hong Jun-pyo has come under fire for comments revealing his ignorance of homosexuality and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

"Homosexuals are the biggest culprit behind the outbreak of AIDS (in South Korea)," the outspoken candidate of the conservative Liberty Korea Party said during the fourth televised debate of five major presidential candidates Tuesday night. "More than 14,000 cases of AIDS have been reported (here). What do you think is a main driver of this?"

Hong made the controversial remarks during a debate with leading contender Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party of Korea ― who later clarified his position on this issue: "I don't like homosexuality. But it doesn't mean it admits discrimination against those with unique sexual orientation."

Hong's remarks immediately stirred a backlash from medical experts and human rights advocates.

"Being homosexual has little to do with being infected with HIV/AIDS," a spokesman for the Korea Federation for HIV/AIDS Prevention said. "Studies show one of the biggest culprits is having unprotected sex between a HIV-positive person and un-positive person. Pointing the finger of blame at homosexuals reflects Hong's lack of knowledge about the issue."

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, which can lead to AIDS.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said HIV is most commonly spread through blood. "Direct blood transfusion is the route of exposure that poses the highest risk of infection," the agency says on its website.

In 2015, 624 people tested positive for HIV in South Korea, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of them, only 288 were confirmed to be homosexuals.

"His comments are considered a sort of hate speech against homosexuals," Hong Sung-soo, a professor at Sookmyung Women's University, wrote on Facebook. "What if he made (it) in Europe, he would have been pressed to make a public apology."

The only presidential candidate who has clarified their support of homosexuality is Shim Sang-jeong of the progressive Justice Party.

"Homosexuality is not a matter that we can agree or disagree on," Shim said. "Sexual identity is literally an ‘identity.' Gender minorities should be respected, that is democracy."