Daegu residents join calls for lawmaker Lee Jin-suk to apologize and resign over '5.18 defamation'

Protests have erupted in Daegu, the home district of People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-suk, with local civic groups demanding her immediate resignation. The demonstrators accuse Lee of distorting the historical significance of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising and glorifying military dictatorship through her recent parliamentary forum.

At a press conference held outside Lee's local office, representatives from the Gwangju Uprising Related Persons Association and over 40 Daegu civic organizations condemned her remarks. They questioned her motives, suggesting a political agenda to rally far-right supporters by denying historical facts. "A lawmaker's position is not for personal political agitation," the groups stated, emphasizing that Lee has betrayed her duty to represent the people and uphold democratic values.

Kim Gyu-sik, head of the Gwangju Uprising Related Persons Association's Gyeongsang and Gangwon branch, expressed outrage, calling Lee's denial of the uprising a "disgrace and contempt" towards the victims and the nation. Kim Seung-mu, standing representative of the Daegu Civic Group Federation, voiced shame as a Daegu citizen and urged the People Power Party, which had pledged to include the Gwangju Uprising spirit in the constitution, to decisively discipline and expel Lee.