South Korean Lawmaker Expelled Amid Controversy Over Gwangju Uprising Remarks

Lee Jin-sook, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, was expelled from a National Assembly session on Tuesday after a motion to dismiss her was overwhelmingly approved. The motion was brought forth due to controversy surrounding her alleged downplaying of the May 18th Gwangju Uprising, a pivotal event in South Korea's democratization movement.

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Today, the Democratic Party's intention to make May 18th a sacred cow has been proclaimed to the world.

As the dismissal motion was presented, Lee vehemently protested, accusing the Democratic Party of establishing a "dictatorship" akin to North Korea's Workers' Party. She stated, "Today, the Democratic Party's intention to make May 18th a sacred cow has been proclaimed to the world." Lee further argued that the party's actions suggest young people should not learn about the Gwangju Uprising independently but should only follow the Democratic Party's narrative. She attributed the Democratic Party leader's low approval ratings to their attempts to create a "Democratic Party dictatorship."

The motion to dismiss Lee, led by the Democratic Party, was put to a vote where 159 lawmakers participated. It passed with 157 votes in favor, one against, and one abstention. The People Power Party had previously decided to oppose the motion and boycott the vote. However, four of its members, Cho Kyeong-tae, Woo Jae-joon, Kim Ye-ji, and Han Ji-ah, defied the party's directive and participated in the secret ballot. At least two of these defectors are believed to have voted in favor of Lee's dismissal.

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You must resign, Lee Jin-sook

As Lee and other People Power Party members attempted to leave the plenary chamber, Democratic Party lawmakers vocally urged them to stay and vote, shouting slogans like "Vote and leave," "You must resign, Lee Jin-sook," and "Distorting May 18th." During this confrontation, Lee was seen shouting back at the Democratic Party members. Han Ji-ah, one of the defectors, later stated that while she abstained from the vote to respect the constituents who elected Lee, she believes the People Power Party's ethics committee should impose severe sanctions on Lee for her remarks. Han emphasized that the People Power Party upholds the spirit of the May 18th Uprising and should therefore take action against those who undermine it.

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The People Power Party upholds the spirit of the May 18th Democraticization Movement. We must take strong disciplinary action against those who speak against it.