[Anchor]

The National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee resembled a battlefield today (September 8) over People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-suk, who sparked controversy for holding a seminar distorting the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. A resolution restricting lawmaker Lee from speaking or voting on matters related to herself was passed under the leadership of the Democratic Party. During the process, high-pitched verbal clashes erupted after lawmaker Lee was compared to a skunk.

Reporter Choi Jae-yeong has the details.

[Reporter]

The National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee convened today.

Democratic Party lawmakers proposed a resolution urging People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-suk to voluntarily recuse herself from speaking and voting on agenda items concerning two specific areas.

One involves actions lawmaker Lee took while serving as the chairperson of the former Korea Communications Commission, and the other concerns her hosting of a seminar criticized for distorting the May 18 Democratization Movement.

[Han Jun-ho / Democratic Party Lawmaker: (The resolution) is premised on safeguarding the fairness of committee deliberations and preventing unnecessary disputes and disruptions.]

Lawmaker Lee and the People Power Party lawmakers immediately pushed back, with the verbal sparring between the ruling and opposition parties turning especially fierce over the May 18 seminar issue.

During criticisms of lawmaker Lee's historical perception by a Democratic Party lawmaker,

[Lee Yeon-hee / Democratic Party Lawmaker: A skunk has entered the temple of the public will, filling the National Assembly with a foul stench.]

People Power Party lawmakers flared up, calling it crossing the line.

[Choi Hyung-du / People Power Party Lawmaker: Where on earth is there such personal attacks and insulting remarks? How can anyone talk about a fellow lawmaker like that?]

[Lee Jin-suk / People Power Party Lawmaker: This is the tyranny of the majority, the dictatorship of the majority, and I believe this itself is an act that emits a stench like that of a skunk in democracy.]

People Power Party lawmakers walked out of the meeting room right before the vote on the resolution, and the resolution was passed led by the Democratic Party.

However, this resolution carries no legally binding force to forcibly restrict lawmaker Lee's legislative activities.

(Video Editing: Shin Dong-hwan, Video Editing: Lee Seung-jin)