South Korean lawmaker Na Kyung-won slams Democrats' move to discipline rival

Na Kyung-won, a prominent lawmaker from South Korea's conservative People Power Party, has strongly condemned the main opposition Democratic Party's initiative to discipline Representative Lee Jin-suk. The disciplinary action stems from Lee's participation in a forum that allegedly downplayed the significance of the May 18 Gwangju Uprising, a pivotal event in South Korea's modern democratic history.

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The Democratic Party lawmakers submitted a disciplinary request against Rep. Lee. Party leader Kim Min-seok even said that if expulsion is difficult, let's at least suspend her qualifications. The Democratic Party has even proposed a 'Law on One Year Suspension of Parliamentary Duties'. This is 'parliamentary totalitarianism' and 'tyranny of the majority' that mocks the Constitution.

Na characterized the Democratic Party's actions as "tyranny of the majority" and "parliamentary totalitarianism," asserting that the move against Lee is a "targeted legislative act." She argued that the proposed legislation, which could suspend a lawmaker's duties for up to a year for "seriously distorting" democratic movements, is specifically aimed at Lee for hosting an academic discussion. "If this is not dictatorship, what is it?" Na questioned, emphasizing her view that the Democrats are abusing their legislative power.

Furthermore, Na raised concerns about transparency surrounding the May 18 Uprising. She posed a rhetorical question: "If the spirit of May 18 is to be enshrined in the preamble of the Constitution, should we not also suppress and punish the public's demand to disclose the list and contributions of May 18 merit recipients and gain public consensus?" Na accused the Democratic Party of monopolizing the narrative of the Gwangju Uprising and using it as a weapon against political opponents, which she believes fundamentally undermines the spirit of the movement itself.

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If this is not dictatorship, what is it?

The Democratic Party officially submitted a disciplinary motion against Lee Jin-suk to the National Assembly on June 21. Party leader Kim Min-seok stated his intention to pursue Lee's expulsion or, at the very least, a suspension of her parliamentary activities. Separately, Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Yong-woo introduced a bill on June 14 that would allow for the suspension of a lawmaker's duties for up to one year for actions deemed to be serious historical distortions of democratic movements like the May 18 Uprising.

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If the spirit of May 18 is to be enshrined in the preamble of the Constitution, should we not also suppress and punish the public's demand to disclose the list and contributions of May 18 merit recipients and gain public consensus? The Democratic Party's act of monopolizing May 18 and using it as a weapon to eliminate political enemies is the most painful defamation of the spirit of May 18.