The People Power Party stated on August 14 that the forum held by Representative Lee Jin-sook on the May 18 Democratic Movement, in collaboration with a right-wing group, was "inappropriate" and expressed a commitment to prevent a recurrence. The party plans to discuss potential internal disciplinary actions.
Choi Eun-seok, the party's floor spokesperson, told reporters at the National Assembly that prior to the forum, floor leader Jung Jeong-sik requested its cancellation, but it went ahead anyway. He noted that Jung believes the event was inappropriate and expressed hope that such incidents do not happen again. The controversy arose after Lee referred to the May 18 Democratic Movement as a "disturbance" during the forum, which was co-hosted with the civic group New History National Movement.
Despite opposition from the party, criticism has emerged from leadership regarding Lee's decision to proceed with the forum. Within the ruling party, there were calls for Lee's expulsion and disciplinary measures just before the event. The Democratic Party of Korea submitted a resolution to the National Assembly's legislative office, urging Lee's expulsion over the distortion and denigration of the May 18 Democratic Movement.
In contrast, Lee maintains that there was nothing wrong with the forum. In a Facebook post, she pointed out that the Democratic Party's leader, Lee Jae-myung, has proposed including the spirit of the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Movement in the preamble of the Constitution as a top national agenda item. She argued that it is contradictory to discuss including the May 18 Movement in the Constitution while refusing to engage in dialogue about it. Lee further stated that the movement, which promotes "democracy," could lead to the suppression of freedom of expression, asserting that claiming no further discussion is needed implies a demand to recognize the May 18 Movement as a sacred cow.
Choi reiterated that the party has agreed to include the spirit of the May 18 Movement in the Constitution's preamble and firmly supports the inheritance of all modern democratic movements. He described the forum as inappropriate but noted that there was no way to forcibly prevent an individual member's forum. Regarding the possibility of disciplinary action from the party's ethics committee, he stated that no decisions have been made yet, emphasizing that while it has not been conclusively determined, the judgment of inappropriateness needs to be discussed internally.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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