Han Byung-do Criticizes May 18th Denigration: 'As a Human Being, One Shouldn't Do That'

Han Byung-do, acting head of the Democratic Party of Korea and floor leader, criticized remarks denigrating the May 18th Democratic Uprising on the 3rd during a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly, stating, 'As a human being, one shouldn't do that.' Han, visibly emotional, said he was 'heartbroken' by the remarks denigrating the May 18th Uprising and struggled to continue. He emphasized, 'Regardless of whether one is progressive or conservative, as a human being, one should not play around with or denigrate such matters.' He defined the May 18th Democratic Uprising as 'an incident where the people were shot during military dictatorship to seize power,' and expressed hope that it would never again be denigrated or mocked.

Supreme Council member Hwang Myung-sun characterized the defense of May 18th mockery as 'freedom of expression' as 'discriminatory violence,' criticizing it as mocking juniors who directly experienced the May 18th Uprising. He pointed out that discriminatory violence based on hatred and historical distortion is incompatible with freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution and is a 'criminal act.'

Supreme Council member Moon Jung-bok proposed establishing a system to comprehensively support democratic citizen education.

Kang Joon-hyun, chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party, stated there were no internal party discussions regarding disciplinary action against the Baejae High School baseball team players. He pointed to the wrongdoings of politicians and adults, as well as the lack of historical education in schools, arguing that these situations should not be exploited for political gain. He also called on the People Power Party to join in creating an educational environment free from hatred and historical distortion.