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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

South Korean parliamentary committee backs expulsion of lawmaker over Gwangju Uprising remarks

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Approved/passed
  • The National Assembly's Steering Committee passed a resolution calling for the expulsion of People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-suk over remarks perceived as downplaying the May 18th Gwangju Uprising.
  • The resolution passed with unanimous support from attending members of the Democratic Party and other opposition parties, while the People Power Party boycotted the vote.
  • Lee Jin-suk, who previously held a forum discussing the 1980 events as a 'disturbance,' stated on Facebook that the resolution's passage signifies the 'sanctification' of the May 18th movement.

A resolution demanding the expulsion of People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-suk has passed the National Assembly's Steering Committee, escalating a political dispute over her remarks about the May 18th Gwangju Uprising.

We will make every effort to ensure that (Lee Jin-suk) is definitively expelled, not just by passing this resolution calling for expulsion.

— Han Byung-doChairman of the National Assembly Steering Committee, vowing to pursue Lee Jin-suk's expulsion.

The committee, led by the Democratic Party, approved the resolution on Tuesday, with Chairman Han Byung-do vowing to make every effort to ensure Lee's expulsion. He stated the resolution serves as a record of the National Assembly's stance on the May 18th incident.

Lee had previously organized a forum with right-wing groups where participants referred to the 1980 events as a "disturbance in Gwangju." This characterization has drawn widespread criticism for allegedly downplaying the significance of the pro-democracy movement.

The resolution is a record of the National Assembly's stance before May 18th.

— Han Byung-doExplaining the significance of the resolution.

The resolution passed with the support of all 17 attending members from the Democratic Party, the Jo Guk Innovation Party, and the Progressive Party. Members of the People Power Party did not attend the meeting, protesting the resolution's processing. Following the vote, Lee Jin-suk posted on Facebook, questioning if this marks the completion of the 'sanctification' of the May 18th movement.

Is this how the sanctification of May 18th is completed?

— Lee Jin-sukLee Jin-suk's reaction on Facebook after the resolution passed.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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