People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-suk holds an emergency press conference at the National Assembly's media center in Seoul on Friday regarding the May 18 pro-democracy movement. [Yonhap]
People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-suk holds an emergency press conference at the National Assembly's media center in Seoul on Friday regarding the May 18 pro-democracy movement. [Yonhap]

People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-suk said Friday that the system recognizing merit holders of the May 18 pro-democracy movement — funded by taxpayer money — must be made transparent and open to public scrutiny.

Speaking at a press conference at the National Assembly, Lee said the disclosure was "absolutely necessary for our youth who want fairness and justice," adding that she understood young people themselves strongly supported such transparency.

The remarks came a day after Lee co-hosted a forum Thursday with right-wing organizations at the National Assembly under the theme "Reexamining the May 18, 1980 Pro-Democracy Movement," which sparked immediate backlash. The Democratic Party of Korea submitted a resolution that afternoon calling for her expulsion from the Assembly.

Lee defended the forum, saying debates that "explain May 18 and reflect on its meaning are essential, especially for younger generations who did not experience it firsthand." She stressed that the forum was not designed to confirm a predetermined conclusion. "Arguments that differ from conventional wisdom may emerge. Uncomfortable questions may arise. Even so, the door to an academic approach must remain open," she said.

She also pushed back against critics seeking to shut down the discussion. "Are they saying we should not hold a forum on May 18 — an event they want enshrined in the constitutional preamble? Or are they saying May 18 belongs exclusively to the Democratic Party and no one else should touch it?" she said. "It must not become the exclusive property of any particular camp or any particular region."

Lee added that insisting further debate was unnecessary amounted to demanding that May 18 be treated as sacred and beyond scrutiny. She also distanced herself from individual remarks made at the event. "Not every expression or argument made by individual presenters at the forum represents my personal view or the official position of the People Power Party," she said. "A forum is not a ritual for confirming shared beliefs — it is a venue for presenting and testing differing claims and evidence."

Lee warned that suppressing free inquiry in the name of democracy would produce an anti-democratic outcome. "A movement that champions democracy must not end up suppressing freedom of thought and freedom of expression — the most important values of a democratic state," she said. She also questioned the basis for singling out one historical event for inclusion in the constitutional preamble. "The public is asking: why must only this particular event be included, and what is the objective standard for that?" she said.

After the press conference, Lee told reporters that while some expressions used at the forum may not have met the public's standards, it was inappropriate to judge the entire forum on the basis of a few problematic remarks. "The argument that only forums approved by the Democratic Party or a particular camp or region should be held at the National Assembly is simply wrong," she said.

When asked about specific remarks made at the forum and about what further debate could be needed given that former President Chun Doo-hwan was convicted of the crime of insurrection, Lee declined to answer directly. "I don't think that is a question for me," she said.


mp1256@heraldcorp.com