DistantNews
Support us
🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Lee Jin-sook threatens legal action over “female Chun Doo-hwan” remark and vows to disclose May 18 honors list

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-sook said she would pursue additional legal action over Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok’s use of the phrase “female Chun Doo-hwan” against her.
  • She announced plans to strengthen screening for May 18 democratic movement honorees and disclose their names and records of merit.
  • The dispute follows a parliamentary controversy over a forum where speakers allegedly distorted or disparaged the May 18 democratic movement, leading to a resolution calling for Lee’s expulsion.

People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-sook said she would take further legal action after Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok referred to her as “female Chun Doo-hwan.” She made the announcement at a National Assembly news conference on Aug. 31, where she also outlined legislation concerning people honored for their role in South Korea’s May 18 democratic movement.

The remark was deliberately made to defame and insult me. I will take additional legal action.

— Lee Jin-sookShe announced further legal measures over Kim Min-seok’s use of the phrase “female Chun Doo-hwan.”

Kim first used the phrase at a Democratic Party convention rally in Jeonnam and Gwangju on Aug. 15, saying that “female Chun Doo-hwan” and “female Hitler” would not be allowed to take root in South Korea. After Lee filed a complaint accusing him of insult over the “female Hitler” remark, Kim said on Aug. 26 that his party might consistently use the name “female Chun Doo-hwan,” which he said appeared to be her preferred name.

Lee called the remarks deliberate attempts to defame and insult her. She denied making statements that disparaged the May 18 movement and said her position was that the movement should not become beyond scrutiny and that the names of its honorees should be made public.

What I wanted to tell the public was that May 18 should not become beyond scrutiny and that the names of its honorees should be disclosed.

— Lee Jin-sookShe explained her position on the legislation concerning May 18 democratic movement honorees.

Her proposed changes would tighten the review process, move review authority from the mayor of the integrated Gwangju-Jeonnam special city to the prime minister’s office, and require deliberation and decisions by the Veterans Affairs Review Committee. She also said amendments would require the names and records of merit of May 18 honorees to be disclosed.

Female Chun Doo-hwan and female Hitler will not be allowed to take root in South Korea.

— Kim Min-seokHe used the expressions against Lee at a Democratic Party convention rally on Aug. 15.

The controversy follows a parliamentary forum hosted by Lee that prompted a National Assembly resolution calling for her expulsion. At the forum, former Seoul National University professor Lee Young-hoon described the events in Gwangju as “a ten-day disturbance,” among other remarks criticized as distortions or disparagement of the May 18 democratic movement.

A ten-day disturbance.

— Lee Young-hoonThe former professor used this description of the Gwangju events at the parliamentary forum that triggered criticism.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog