Lee Jin-sook: "I Will Propose Amendments to May 18 Laws... Names and Merits of Honorees to Be Disclosed"

On August 31, Lee Jin-sook, a member of the People Power Party, announced, "I will propose a bill to amend laws related to the 5·18 Gwangju Democratization Movement merit recipients," adding, "I plan to revise the 'Act on the Honorable Treatment of 5·18 Democratization Merit Recipients' and other related individual laws to mandate the disclosure of the recipients’ names and achievements."

Lee Jin-sook, a member of the People Power Party, is leaving the plenary session held at the National Assembly on the 26th as a resolution calling for her expulsion was submitted. August 26, 2026. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

At a press conference held that afternoon at the National Assembly’s communication center, Assemblywoman Lee stated, "We will stipulate the scope and procedure of disclosure through legislation and regularly announce this information so the public can verify the merits. While proper honor and treatment should be ensured, the screening process must be strict, and the achievements should be disclosed transparently."

She further explained, "We must reveal the list and public achievements of the 5·18 merit recipients, which many people are curious and doubtful about," and added, "While I respect the historical and legal assessments of 5·18, it is necessary to explain to the public why someone like former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, who was not present at the scene at that time, is included on the list of recipients."

Lee also pointed out that the designation of 5·18 merit recipients is currently administered by Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Special City, saying, "I shared this with four journalists, and three said it was the first time they'd heard of it," further commenting, "This is because 5·18 has become a sanctuary."

Accordingly, through the proposed amendment, Lee plans to transfer the authority for reviewing compensation for 5·18 to the office of the Prime Minister from Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City (formerly Gwangju Metropolitan City). She also aims to make it mandatory for the Merit Review Committee of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to review and decide on registrations for 5·18 Democratization Merit Recipients.

Assemblywoman Lee stated, "Just as the anger of citizens over the deprivation of suffrage led to the special prosecutor, we need the power, support, and movement of the people for this bill to pass and ensure 5·18 is disclosed transparently to the public."

Meanwhile, the court previously ruled against the plaintiffs in lawsuits filed between 2018 and 2020 by some citizens seeking to overturn the rejection of information disclosure regarding the 5·18 merit recipients’ list and achievements. At the time, the trial court stated, "the names of the 5·18 democratization merit recipients clearly constitute personal identifying information," and emphasized, "The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (formerly the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs) did not make an exceptional decision to withhold only the 5·18 Democratization Merit Recipients’ list."

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