The Democratic Party intensified its criticism on August 26 against Lee Jin-sook, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, amid the ongoing controversy over her remarks about the May 18 Gwangju Uprising. Party officials stated, "We cannot allow a 'female Chun Doo-hwan' to remain in the National Assembly," and emphasized that they would not let the mockery of the May 18 incident go unaddressed.
During a Supreme Council meeting held in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok remarked, "While she took issue with being called 'female Hitler,' she seems to embrace the title 'female Chun Doo-hwan.'" He suggested that the party should officially label her as such, warning that Chun Doo-hwan has already been judged by the public for his insurrection and that the same historical reckoning would apply to Lee.
Han Byeong-do, the party's floor leader, also stated, "We will not let the mockery of the May 18 incident go unchallenged. We will hold her accountable before the public and history," urging the People Power Party to align with the National Assembly in recognizing the historical truth of May 18 and supporting democracy.
Additionally, the Democratic Party revealed that after a dinner with President Lee Jae-myung on August 25, Kim Min-seok conveyed internal and external opinions against the appointment of Inyo-han as the chair of the Korean Red Cross.
Chief spokesperson Park Seong-jun explained to reporters after the Supreme Council meeting that Kim had a separate discussion with President Lee following the dinner, where he expressed that it would be better not to appoint Inyo-han, a former lawmaker from the People Power Party, to the position.
Previously, on June 22, the Red Cross elected Inyo-han as its new chair through a decision by its central committee. However, Inyo-han has faced criticism from health and civil society groups for being deemed unfit for the role due to his public opposition to the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol during the impeachment crisis.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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