[Anchor]

Today, People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-suk hosted a forum at the National Assembly concerning the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. However, remarks detached from common sense were poured out, including anti-historical claims and disparaging statements about May 18. Shouting and physical violence even broke out in the audience seats.

Reporting by Son Hyeong-an.

[Reporter]

This afternoon at the National Assembly Library.

This is a forum regarding the May 18 Democratization Movement co-hosted by People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-suk and an organization called the New History National Movement.

[Lee Jin-suk / People Power Party Lawmaker: May 18 must not become the property of a specific faction.]

The organization's co-representative disparaged "March for the Beloved," the song symbolizing the spirit of the May 18 Democratization Movement, calling it a "retired artifact of history," and even referred to May 18 as an unrest incident.

[Lee Young-hoon / Co-representative, New History National Movement: It is the unrest incident that took place in Gwangju over those ten days. What were they protesting against, what were they trying to overthrow...]br />
Statements denying Chun Doo-hwan's responsibility for May 18 followed one after another.

[Lee Young-hoon / Co-representative, New History National Movement: It was President Chun Doo-hwan's nation-building and soft landing of democratic politics.]

[Ju Dong-sik / Former People Power Party Gwangju Seo-gu Gap Party District Chairman: I believe that the intentions of the Juche faction were also involved. Whenever Chun Doo-hwan is mentioned, it is unconditionally a slaughterer, a slaughterer. They made everyone out to be perpetrators and bad guys.]

The forum's reference materials even contained anti-historical claims, referring to May 18 as the Gwangju Incident and stating that "responsibility was entirely shifted away from the military chain of command of 1980 onto Chun Doo-hwan, who had no relation to it," or that "Chun Doo-hwan was defamed as someone who massacred the righteous people who rose up in Gwangju."

The forum descended into chaos as audience members exchanged shouting, threw punches, and splashed water at one another.

[Forum Attendee: May 18 is a riot and a rebellion!]

Lawmaker Lee even made remarks that seemed to further incite the commotion in the room.

[Lee Jin-suk / People Power Party Lawmaker: Due to this kind of commotion, halting the event is the goal of a specific force.]

Regarding the forum filled only with claims detached from public common sense, the Democratic Party criticized that the National Assembly was degraded into a venue for disparaging the May 18 Democratization Movement, and urged the People Power Party to expel Lawmaker Lee.

The People Power Party drew a line, stating, "We requested Lawmaker Lee to cancel the event, but she refused," adding that it was a personal-level event and not one the party was involved in.

(Camera: Lee Seung-hwan, Shin Dong-hwan | Video Editing: Lee Seung-hee | Design: Kim Ye-ji)