Lee Byung-tae, then vice chairman of the Regulatory Rationalization Committee, speaks at the committee's first plenary session at Cheong Wa Dae on April 15. [Yonhap]
Lee Byung-tae, then vice chairman of the Regulatory Rationalization Committee, speaks at the committee's first plenary session at Cheong Wa Dae on April 15. [Yonhap]

Lee Byung-tae, the former vice chairman of the Regulatory Rationalization Committee who stepped down after his remarks calling the May 18 pro-democracy uprising a "sacred ground" sparked controversy, on Wednesday squarely blamed President Lee Jae Myung for the Baejae High School incident.

In a Facebook post Wednesday, Lee said President Lee bore responsibility for the episode. He argued that the controversy began — and essentially ended — with a late-night social media post in which the president, taking what Lee described as an "irresponsible, conspiracy-minded view," framed Starbucks Korea's marketing as mocking the painful events of the democratization era.

Earlier, as online criticism of Starbucks Korea's "Tank Day" promotional event — held around the anniversary of the May 18 pro-democracy uprising — was gaining traction, President Lee posted sharply worded remarks on social media, saying he was "outraged by the inhumane and disgraceful conduct of lowlife merchants" and that "corresponding moral, legal and political accountability must follow."

Lee said the Baejae High School incident, which unfolded as an extension of the Starbucks "Tank Day" controversy, was "a case of public conflict born of the arrogance of a powerful person who appointed himself judge of history." He added that he had conveyed to the presidential secretary for national unity his view that the president should apologize.

"I don't know whether that message was passed on, but the person who started all this has been playing dumb ever since," he added.

On the remarks that triggered his resignation — that the May 18 uprising had become "sacred ground" — Lee said he used the phrase because "those who seek to monopolize the political symbolism and meaning of history and specific events, such as the Sewol ferry disaster, use it as a badge of factional politics to stigmatize and character-assassinate their opponents."

President Lee appointed Lee Byung-tae, an emeritus professor at KAIST known for his strongly conservative views, as vice chairman of the Regulatory Rationalization Committee on March 2, in keeping with his stated policy of pragmatic, cross-ideological appointments — though the move drew considerable opposition from within the ruling camp at the time.

While serving in the Cheong Wa Dae-affiliated body, Lee could not contain himself when the Baejae High School baseball team was sanctioned by the Korea Baseball Softball Association after players chanted "Let's go to Starbucks" — a remark widely seen as a regional slur. He posted sensitive comments on social media, including that "May 18 has become sacred ground" and references to "the appearance of North Korea." Cheong Wa Dae took the unusual step of publicly pressuring him to resign, and Lee stepped down July 6. The departure was in effect a dismissal.


jshan@heraldcorp.com