Lee Byungtae Resigns Over "5.18 Sanctuary" Controversy... Blue House Says "Decision Accepted"

Lee Byung-tae, Vice Chairman of the Regulatory Rationalization Committee, who caused controversy with his remarks regarding the "5·18 Sanctuary," voluntarily resigned on July 6, 2026.

An official from the presidential office announced to the media that day, stating, "Vice Chairman Lee has expressed his intention to resign," and added, "The presidential office has decided to accept his resignation." This move follows the presidential office issuing a warning to Lee and recommending his resignation.

Previously, Vice Chairman Lee sparked controversy by commenting on the Baegjae High School baseball team's "Starbucks cheer slogan" issue, stating, "The 5·18 has become a sanctuary in this country," and "Seeing North Korea wailing as newspapers with photos of Kim Il Sung get wet with rain, rather than seeing something about the Republic of Korea," which drew criticism.

Meanwhile, shortly after expressing his intention to resign, Lee wrote on his Facebook page, "After much deliberation, I have decided to step down as vice chairman in accordance with the recommendation to resign, believing that I should not burden the appointing authority and the government."

However, Lee also stated, "The reason I agonized over accepting the recommendation to resign is because this resignation does not correspond to a clear ground for dismissal, which raises concerns that it does not align with the principle of the rule of law." He added, "I was afraid that setting a precedent of resigning under unfair political pressure could result in legitimizing future abuse of power by political authorities."

He went on to say, "I still believe that our society should move toward being one where people can freely express their thoughts, and I remain proud that I raised an essential topic." He continued, "We must not become a society where individuals or certain groups force their sanctuaries onto others," reaffirming his previous stance.

He further argued, "If power and groups begin to arbitrarily define even the boundary between freedom and permissiveness, that is precisely the beginning of totalitarianism."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.