Department of Health (DOH) Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) yesterday drew criticism from Taiwanese lawmakers over a remark he made in Washington, when he said he detests Korean people.
On the sidelines of his speech on Taiwan’s National Health Insurance (NHI) system at an international conference held by the Washington-based Center for Strategy and International Studies on Friday, Yaung compared national health insurance systems in different countries and mentioned how South Korea transformed its multi-carrier national health insurance system into a single national health insurance system after a group came to Taiwan to visit him and to learn from Taiwan’s example.
“But South Korean people would never say they copied from Taiwan,” Yaung said.
PHOTO: CNA
He then said: “It’s just like when [South] Korea also said Confucius was from [South] Korea. I detest(討厭) Korean people.”
Apparently realizing his blunder, he quickly said: “It would be terrible if this is broadcast.”
In Taipei, commenting on Yaung’s gaffe, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) yesterday said that not only was what Yaung said “inappropriate” but it also “disgraced the dignity of the nation” because Yaung is a government official.
“South Korea learned something from Taiwan’s NHI system. We should have felt honored by that. It doesn’t matter if South Korea said it learned from Taiwan or not,” Lo said.
Democratic Progressive Party Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) said Yaung had never learned from past lessons that he should be more cautious with his words.
Huang was referring to controversial comments Yaung made in the past. He once said that “single people are more prone to mental illness” when he explained why single people should be asked to pay higher health insurance premiums in a plan to reform the NHI system.
Yaung also put his foot in his mouth recently when, promoting AIDS prevention, he said he wished that condoms could be available at betel nut stands and that betel nut beauties (檳榔西施), who often wear revealing apparel, could help the government in its AIDS awareness program.
“From the perspectives of a man, betel nut beauties should not be cracked down on,” he said. “Of course betel nut beauties should wear revealing apparel so that they can be eye-catching.”
“How could a politically appointed official make discriminatory comments about another country at an international occasion?” Huang said yesterday. “This was not the first time that Yaung has made improper comments, and it is because the Cabinet has indulged him instead of asking him to behave himself.”
Ministry of Foreign Affairs had no comment on that, with deputy spokesman James Chang (章計平) referring the press to Yaung to explain the context.
Meanwhile, Executive Yuan Spokesman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said the Cabinet respected personal comments unrelated to government policies made by Cabinet officials, but added the Executive Yuan also wished that Cabinet officials would be more cautious and take public sentiments into consideration before making comments.
Bureau of National Health Insurance Director Cheng Shou-hsia (鄭守夏) said the national health insurance reform Yaung mentioned was implemented by South Korea about 10 years ago when Yaung was DOH deputy minister under the former KMT administration.
Cheng said Taiwan and South Korea often exchange views on their national health insurance systems. South Korea implemented its national health insurance system earlier than Taiwan, but Taiwan’s system has been internationally recognized as better, Cheng added.
In his speech on Friday, Yaung said he was not optimistic about health insurance reform in the US because the US has too many private health insurance carriers, leaving too much leeway for fraud.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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