[Anchor]
Political circles continue to face controversy over remarks disparaging the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement made during a seminar hosted yesterday (the 13th) by People Power Party Representative Lee Jin-sook. The Democratic Party has demanded Rep. Lee's expulsion, while reactions criticizing the event as inappropriate have also emerged from within the People Power Party.
Reporter Jeong Yunsik has the story.
[Reporter]
The seminar regarding the May 18 Democratization Movement was co-hosted yesterday by People Power Party Representative Lee Jin-sook and an organization called the New History National Movement.
Lee Young-hoon, the head of the organization, belittled the May 18 Democratization Movement as an "unrest incident" and made remarks denying Chun Doo-hwan's responsibility for May 18, stating that "the Chun Doo-hwan regime was unfairly denounced as an unjust regime."
[Lee Young-hoon / Co-representative, New History National Movement (Yesterday): It was a ten-day unrest incident that took place in Gwangju. What were they protesting against, and what were they trying to overthrow?]<br>
Some citizens who visited the seminar venue strongly protested, leading to a physical scuffle, but Representative Lee made the following remarks:
[Lee Jin-sook / People Power Party Representative (Yesterday): Causing this kind of commotion to halt the event is the goal of a specific faction.]<br>
Regarding the controversy, the Cheong Wa Dae stated that attempts to distort and disparage the May 18 Democratization Movement are issues that must be resolutely and sternly punished by society. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party repeatedly urged the People Power Party to expel Representative Lee.
[Han Byeong-do / Democratic Party Floor Leader: Rather than dismissing this as a personal deviation, you must clearly state your stance on the distortion of May 18 history. We also urge you to immediately take responsible action regarding Representative Lee Jin-sook.]<br>
In response to criticisms questioning whether the ruling party leadership should have blocked the seminar from taking place, the People Power Party stated the following:
[Choi Eun-seok / Chief Deputy Spokesperson, People Power Party: Before the event, Floor Leader Jung Jum-sik also requested the cancellation of the seminar, but it appears the seminar was pushed through anyway. It was an inappropriate act, and we hope it will not happen again.]<br>
The People Power Party noted that the party leadership has previously agreed to include the spirit of May 18 in the preamble of the Constitution and maintains a firm stance on inheriting the spirit of the democratization movement. However, it added that internal discussions are necessary regarding disciplinary action against Representative Lee in connection with this seminar.
(Camera: Shin Dong-hwan | Video Editing: Lee Seung-hee)
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