Professor Lee Jun-goo slams official for confusing freedom with license over Gwangju chants

Esteemed economics professor Lee Jun-goo has sharply criticized Lee Byung-tae, vice-chair of the Presidential Committee on Regulatory Reform, for his remarks on the Baejae High School baseball team's discriminatory chants. Lee Byung-tae had suggested that the team's chants, which mocked the May 18th Gwangju Uprising, were an issue of "sanctifying May 18th" and an exercise of free speech. Professor Lee vehemently disagreed, calling Lee Byung-tae's statements "below common sense."

“

Acts that harm others are not freedoms that should be legitimately guaranteed, but are merely license that should be condemned.

Writing on his personal website, Professor Lee, a renowned microeconomist, invoked John Stuart Mill's "On Liberty" to distinguish between freedom and license. He argued that while Mill advocated for broad freedoms, he made an exception for actions that harm others. "Acts that harm others are not freedoms that should be legitimately guaranteed, but are merely license that should be condemned," Lee stated. He asserted that anyone with minimal common sense would understand that the "Starbucks cheer" used by the baseball players would hurt the citizens of Gwangju who shed blood for democratization.

“

Anyone with minimal common sense would understand that this statement would hurt the citizens of Gwangju who shed blood for democratization.

Professor Lee found Lee Byung-tae's defense of the chants as "freedom of expression" to be "absurd and pathetic." He expressed dismay that a high-ranking official would use freedom of expression as a pretext to defend such "thoughtless behavior." "The fact that a high-ranking public official cannot properly distinguish between freedom and license and makes such below-common-sense arguments is astonishing," Lee remarked. He accused Lee Byung-tae of abandoning his duty as an intellectual by equating harmful 'license' with freedom of expression, stating that Lee Byung-tae has "no right to even utter the word 'freedom.'"

“

The fact that a high-ranking public official cannot properly distinguish between freedom and license and makes such below-common-sense arguments is astonishing.

Furthermore, Professor Lee questioned the government's decision to appoint Lee Byung-tae, a figure known for "extreme right-wing remarks," to such a high-profile position. He called the appointment a "thorough mistake," suggesting it was inexplicable to embrace someone with whom the government shared no common ground. Lee warned that Lee Byung-tae's "dictatorial" behavior would become a significant burden for the administration, questioning if the government now realizes its initial misjudgment.

“

The appointment of someone like him, who has unhesitatingly made extreme right-wing remarks, to a high-level position in the government was utterly incomprehensible.