[Anchor]

Controversy is spreading within political circles regarding the heavy disciplinary action taken against the Baejae High School baseball team. After Lee Byung-tae, Vice Chairman of the Regulatory Reform Committee, posted on social media that "the May 18 Democratization Movement has become a sacred entity," the Presidential Office issued a public warning, calling his behavior "inappropriate."

Reporter Bae Junu has the story.

[Reporter]

This is the post uploaded to social media by Lee Byung-tae, Vice Chairman of the presidential Regulatory Reform Committee, 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?" adding, "The May 18 movement has become a sacred entity in this land."

He also compared the situation to "North Korea, where people wail upon seeing a newspaper with a photo of Kim Il-sung getting wet in the rain."

Following his post regarding the Baejae High School baseball team, which received heavy disciplinary action for cheering slogans 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 Chairman 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," further stating that "even shouting 'Long live Kim Il-sung' in the middle of Seoul should be permitted."

In response, Presidential Senior Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung stated that while the Vice Chairman posted his personal opinion on social media, it "has the potential to cause misunderstanding and contradicts the government's firm stance against hatred and mockery." She added that they have "issued a stern warning regarding his inappropriate conduct and strongly requested that such incidents not recur."

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

However, Vice Chairman Lee continued to emphasize his stance that "there should be no sanctuaries for freedom of expression that lead to punishment," and indicated that he has no intention of resigning.

Vice Chairman Lee, who holds conservative views, was appointed to his current position—which is considered 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 bloc had expressed opposition to his appointment.

Some interpret the Presidential Office's decision to issue a public warning over the Vice Chairman's social media posts 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 | Design: Lim Chan-hyuk, Park Tae-young)