Former official blames president for high school controversy, defends Gwangju remarks

Lee Byung-tae, who resigned from his position as deputy chairman of the Presidential Committee on Regulatory Reform following controversy over his remarks about the May 18 Gwangju Uprising, has now accused President Lee Jae-myung of causing the recent dispute involving Baejae High School. Lee Byung-tae controversially described the Gwangju Uprising as a "sanctuary" and linked it to North Korea, leading to his departure from the committee.

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Why did I argue that Gwangju became a sanctuary? Because people and powers who try to monopolize the political symbolism and meaning of history and specific events like Sewol are using it as a mark of campist politics that stigmatizes and personally murders the other side.

In a Facebook post, Lee Byung-tae questioned why the Gwangju Uprising had become a "sanctuary," attributing it to attempts by certain individuals and powers to monopolize the political symbolism of historical events and use them as markers for "campist politics" that stigmatize and attack opponents. He specifically pointed to President Lee Jae-myung's "irresponsible, conspiracy-theory-like" social media post about Starbucks Korea's marketing, which he claimed was misinterpreted as mocking unfortunate events in South Korea's democratization process.

Lee Byung-tae characterized the situation as an example of "arrogance" by a person in power who presumes to be a historical judge, leading to public conflict. He stated that he had conveyed to the presidential office his belief that the president should apologize, but noted that the "perpetrator" has so far remained silent. He further challenged the president, asking who was responsible for the conflict between the Honam and non-Honam regions caused by "campist politics" – himself or President Lee Jae-myung.

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His irresponsible, conspiracy-theory-like view on social media, thinking Starbucks Korea's marketing was mocking unfortunate events in the past democratization process in the middle of the night, was the beginning and the entirety of this problem.

Lee Byung-tae, a conservative figure and former policy chief for Hong Joon-pyo's presidential campaign, was appointed to the regulatory reform committee in March as part of President Lee's push for inclusive appointments. His earlier comments about the Gwangju Uprising had drawn a warning from the presidential office, which called his behavior "inappropriate," but he persisted with his statements before ultimately resigning.

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This is a case of public conflict caused by the arrogance of a person in power who claims to be a historical judge.