Presidential Office Issues Public Warning to Lee Byung-tae Over "5·18 Sanctification" Remarks

[Anchor]

Controversy is spreading in political circles over the heavy disciplinary action taken against the Baejae High School baseball team. After Lee Byung-tae, vice-chair of the Regulatory Rationalization Committee, posted on social media that the "May 18 Democratization Movement has become a sanctuary," the presidential office issued a public warning, calling his behavior "inappropriate."

Bae Junu reports.

[Reporter]

This is the post uploaded by Lee Byung-tae, vice-chair of the presidential-affiliated Regulatory Rationalization Committee, on his social media two days ago, on July 2.

He argued, "What does it say about our society that we are dealing with the deviation of students who used the Starbucks controversy to mock their high school baseball rivals?" and claimed, "The May 18 movement has become a sanctuary in this land."

He further compared the situation to "North Korea, where people wail upon seeing a newspaper soaked in rain that features a photo of Kim Il-sung."

Regarding this post, which concerns the Baejae High School baseball team that received heavy disciplinary action for using cheering chants that disparaged the May 18 Democratization Movement, Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Min-hee criticized him yesterday, stating that the May 18 movement is indeed a "sanctuary of democracy." This morning, Vice-Chair Lee posted again, asserting that "the core issue is freedom of expression" and that "punishing someone based on their remarks is a denial of fundamental rights," adding that "even shouting 'Long live Kim Il-sung' in the middle of Seoul should be permitted."

In response, Kang Yu-jung, chief spokesperson for the presidential office, stated that while the vice-chair posted his personal opinions on social media, it "has the potential to cause misunderstanding and is contrary to the government's firm stance against hatred and mockery." She added that they have "issued a stern warning for his inappropriate conduct and strongly requested that he prevent any recurrence."

Following this, Vice-Chair Lee switched his initial post to private. In a phone call with SBS, he explained, "Unlike when I used to write as a private individual, I should have been more cautious with my remarks as a vice-chair," adding, "I had absolutely no intention to disparage or mock the May 18 movement."

However, Vice-Chair Lee continued to emphasize his point that "there should be no sanctuary for freedom of expression that leads to punishment," and indicated that he has no intention of resigning.

Lee, who has conservative leanings, was appointed to his current position—which is equivalent to a ministerial level—last March in line with President Lee Jae-myung's policy of integration and pragmatic appointments. At the time, some within the ruling party bloc had expressed opposition to his appointment.

Some interpret the presidential office's decision to issue a public warning over the vice-chair's social media post as a move to prevent the escalation of controversy within the ruling party regarding so-called "New Lee Jae-myung appointments" ahead of the Democratic Party's national convention.

(Video reporting: Yang Ji-hoon | Video editing: Park Sun-soo | Graphics: Im Chan-hyuk, Park Tae-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.