The Blue House issued a stern warning on July 4 regarding remarks made by Lee Byeong-tae, Vice Chairman of the Presidential Regulatory Reform Committee, related to the 'sanctification' of the May 18 Gwangju Uprising. Kang Yoo-jung, the Chief Spokesperson, stated that Lee's personal opinions expressed on social media could be misleading and are contrary to the government's firm stance against hate and mockery. She emphasized that his behavior is inappropriate for someone in a responsible position within a government-affiliated organization.
Kang added, "We have issued a serious warning and strongly requested measures to prevent a recurrence in the future."
Earlier, Lee raised issues of freedom of expression in a Facebook post concerning the controversy and disciplinary actions surrounding the cheer slogans used by the Baejae High School baseball team.
He stated, "The essence of my opinion is freedom of expression, which is one of the universal basic rights of humans. Freedom of expression is not just the right to say what is right and true, but also includes the fundamental right for society to allow incorrect, absurd, and false statements."
On July 2, Lee had also commented on the same issue, suggesting that the students' actions could be interpreted as satire not of the May 18 incident itself, but of the 'Starbucks controversy.' He wrote, "The sanctification of history has led to the trivialization of what is essentially a childish act by young students, which has now become a matter of adult politics." This post has since been deleted.
The controversy began on June 29 during the Cheongryonggi National High School Baseball Championship, when the Baejae High School baseball team chanted slogans such as "Let's go, let's go, Starbucks!" and "Tank Day" while competing against Gwangju Jeil High School. Following a review, the Korea Baseball Softball Association imposed a six-month suspension from national competitions on Baejae High School.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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