[Anchor]

People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-sook held a seminar yesterday (August 13) at the National Assembly regarding the May 18 Democratization Movement. Remarks disparaging the May 18 movement erupted during the event, leading to shouting and physical scuffles. While the Democratic Party urged the expulsion of Lawmaker Lee, the People Power Party drew a line, stating that the party had even tried to dissuade her from holding the event.

Reporter Son Hyeong-an has the details.

[Reporter]

Yesterday afternoon at the National Assembly Library.

This was a seminar concerning the May 18 Democratization Movement co-hosted by People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-sook and an organization called the New History National Movement.

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

The co-representative of the organization disparaged "March for the Beloved," a song symbolizing the spirit of the May 18 Democratization Movement, calling it a "retired relic of history," and even referred to May 18 as a disturbance.

[Lee Young-hoon / Co-representative of the New History National Movement: It was a ten-day disturbance that took place in Gwangju. What were they protesting against, what were they trying to overthrow...]

Statements denying Chun Doo-hwan's responsibility for May 18 followed consecutively.

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

[Joo Dong-sik / Former People Power Party Gwangju Seo-gu Gap Party Organization Chairperson: I believe the intentions of the Juche-faction were also involved. Whenever Chun Doo-hwan is mentioned, he is unconditionally branded as a butcher, a butcher. They made him out to be entirely the perpetrator and the bad guy.]

The seminar pamphlet referred to May 18 as the "Gwangju Incident" and contained anti-historical claims, such as stating that "responsibility was entirely shifted away from the 1980 military chain of command onto Chun Doo-hwan, who had no relation to it," or that "Chun Doo-hwan was defamed as a butcher who massacred the righteous people who rose up in Gwangju."

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

[Seminar 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-sook / People Power Party Lawmaker: Causing the event to be suspended due to this kind of disturbance is the goal of a specific faction.]

Regarding the seminar, which was filled with claims far removed from public common sense, the Democratic Party criticized that it degraded the National Assembly 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," emphasizing that the party was not involved and that it was a personal-level event.

(Video Reported by Lee Seung-hwan, Shin Dong-hwan | Video Edited by Wi Won-yang | Design by Kim Ye-ji)