Democratic Party to Seek Expulsion of Lawmaker Over Gwangju Uprising Forum

The Democratic Party of Korea has announced it will submit a resolution to expel a lawmaker from the rival People Power Party over a forum that allegedly denigrates the May 18 Gwangju Uprising. The forum, held at the National Assembly Library on Tuesday, was criticized by the Democratic Party as a "crude and base attempt to turn the National Assembly into a venue for denigrating the May 18 democratization movement."

Lee Han-pyo, acting leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party, stated, "If you have even a shred of humanity, you should not denigrate or play games with May 18." He demanded that the lawmaker, Lee Jin-suk, cancel the event and "apologize profusely to the public." However, Lee proceeded with the event as scheduled.

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We will never tolerate such a crude and base attempt to turn the National Assembly into a venue for denigrating the May 18 democratization movement. If you have even a shred of humanity, you should not denigrate or play games with May 18.

"Rep. Lee Jin-suk is not fit to be a member of the South Korean National Assembly. The Democratic Party will immediately submit a resolution calling for her expulsion," Lee Han-pyo declared.

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Rep. Lee Jin-suk is not fit to be a member of the South Korean National Assembly. The Democratic Party will immediately submit a resolution calling for her expulsion.

Park Kyun-taek, a Democratic Party lawmaker whose constituency is Gwangju, urged the People Power Party to expel Lee. "If your past promise to include the spirit of May 18 in the preamble of the constitution was sincere, and if you truly intend to distance yourselves from the Yoon Suk-yeol regime's 'rebellion forces,' then you must expel Lee Jin-suk from the party immediately," he said.

The forum was co-hosted by Sae-yeoksa Gukmin Undong, an organization led by former Seoul National University professor Lee Young-hoon, a figure associated with the New Right movement. This group has argued that defining the Gwangju Uprising as a "state-sponsored massacre" is inappropriate and that Gwangju is a "den of dark forces that will divide this nation and lead it to ruin once again."

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If your past promise to include the spirit of May 18 in the preamble of the constitution was sincere, and if you truly intend to distance yourselves from the Yoon Suk-yeol regime's 'rebellion forces,' then you must expel Lee Jin-suk from the party immediately.