"5·18 Has Become a Sacred Area": Presidential Office Issues Public Warning to Lee Byung-tae for "Inappropriate Conduct"

[Anchor]

Controversy is spreading within political circles over 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 area," the Presidential Office issued a public warning, calling his actions "inappropriate."

Bae Junu reports.

[Reporter]

This is the post uploaded to social media two days ago (July 3) by Lee Byung-tae, Vice Chairman of the presidential-affiliated Regulatory Reform Committee.

He argued, "What does it say about our society that it deals 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 sacred area in this land."

He further compared the situation to "North Koreans weeping at the sight of a newspaper soaked in rain featuring a photo of Kim Il-sung."

In response to 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 May 18 is indeed a "sacred area 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," 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 Chairman posted his personal opinion on social media, it "has the potential to cause misunderstandings 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 such incidents do 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 in 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 point that "there should be no sacred areas for freedom of expression that lead to punishment," and indicated that he has no intention of resigning.

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

Some interpret the Presidential Office's public warning regarding Vice Chairman Lee's social media posts as a move to prevent the escalation of controversy within the ruling bloc surrounding so-called "New Lee Jae-myung appointments" ahead of the Democratic Party's national convention.

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