Lee Byungtae Resigns Over "5·18 Sanctuary" Controversy... Steps Down After 126 Days in Office

Blue House Recommends and Accepts Resignation

Blue House: "Will Continue to Broaden Political Inclusivity"

Hong Ikpyo: "Freedom of Expression Differs for Senior Public Officials"

Lee Byungtae: "Decided Not to Burden the Appointing Aut

Lee Byungtae, Vice Chairman of the Regulatory Rationalization Committee, who caused controversy with his remarks about the "5·18 Sanctuary," voluntarily resigned on July 6. This came 126 days after his appointment on March 2.

A Blue House official announced to the media that day, "Vice Chairman Lee has expressed his intention to resign," adding, "The Blue House has decided to accept this." The Blue House had issued a warning to Lee and recommended that he step down, which led to this decision. Lee, who is considered to have conservative leanings, is a professor of business administration. He previously handled economic policy in the campaign of Hong Joonpyo during the People Power Party’s presidential primary last year, and his selection was regarded as a bold move toward “inclusive appointments.”

Previously, Vice Chairman Lee sparked controversy over the "Starbucks cheer slogan" incident involving the Paichai High School baseball team, claiming, "The fact that 5·18 has become a sanctuary in this country," and "It is like watching North Koreans wailing at the sight of a newspaper with Kim Il Sung's picture getting wet in the rain, rather than for South Korea," triggering public debate.

Regarding this issue, Hong Ikpyo, Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs, said in a joint interview with the Blue House new media press corps, "Given that he holds the position of vice chairman of a presidential advisory body, which is a high-level post equivalent to prime minister, the freedom of expression for public officials may differ from that of private individuals."

He added, "Considering the recent controversies in politics and various debates in our society, the Blue House believed it would be best for him to voluntarily decide his future." Hong also explained that even after the Blue House issued a "stern warning" to Lee on July 4 and advised him not to further fuel the controversy, Lee continued to engage with the media, which contributed to prolonging the issue.

Meanwhile, immediately after announcing his intention to resign, Lee stated on his Facebook page, "I decided to step down from the vice chairman position after much deliberation, accepting the recommendation for voluntary resignation and believing that I should not burden the appointing authority and the government."

However, Lee also mentioned, "The reason I deliberated so much before accepting the recommendation is because this resignation does not fall under a clear legal reason for dismissal, which raises concerns that it does not align with the principles of the rule of law." He added, "I was worried that resigning due to unjust political pressure would set a precedent for tolerating future abuses of political power."

He continued, "I still believe that our society should move toward one where people can express their thoughts freely, and I remain proud of having raised necessary issues." He maintained his previous stance, saying, "Our society should not become one where the sanctuaries of oneself or certain groups are imposed on others."

He further argued, "When power and groups begin to arbitrarily define even the boundary between freedom and license, that is the very beginning of totalitarianism."

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