Lee Byung-tae, vice chairman of the Regulatory Rationalization Committee, who had said "the May 18 Democratization Movement has become a sanctuary," released a statement announcing his resignation, stressing that "while we all have sanctuaries, society must not become one that forces one's own sanctuary, or that of a certain group, upon others." His remarks came as the political dispute intensified over a controversy in which the Baejae High School baseball team's cheering was accused of denigrating the Gwangju Democratization Movement.
Lee made the statement Friday through Facebook, saying, "The moment power and groups begin to arbitrarily define even the line between freedom and license, that is precisely the beginning of totalitarianism."
"The reason I joined the Lee Jae-myung administration was that I believed in the president's sincerity in seeking to break down polarized politics — where camps treat each other as enemies as if at war — and to achieve national unity," he said. "For someone like me, who has strongly criticized progressive policies from a conservative perspective, it was by no means an easy choice."
He continued, "As I understood it, my duty was to hold the center from a conservative perspective so that the government's policies would not lean to one side, and to spare no sharp criticism regarding regulatory reform and economic policy." He added, "The post about the Baejae High School cheering slogan that triggered the problem was also in that line."
"Watching a phenomenon in which even a simple slogan used at a sporting event for young students escalates into a political tool and an ideological confrontation between camps, my true intention was to appeal for our society to become a little more flexible and tolerant of differing opinions," he said. "However, as a result, regardless of my intentions, it ended up amplifying conflict. It was my fault for failing to properly consider the political sensitivity."
Regarding why he did not immediately accept the recommendation to resign, Lee explained, "It was out of concern that it did not constitute a clear ground for dismissal and thus was not consistent with the principle of the rule of law." He said, "I was afraid that setting a precedent of resigning under an unjust political offensive would result in tolerating the outrageous tyranny of political power in the future."
"I was concerned that my resignation might appear to be a self-denial of the very issue I raised — that a mature democracy embracing freedom of expression and diversity is needed," he said. "Although I am stepping down in the form of a voluntary resignation, I will continue to live dreaming of a country where both individuals and businesses are truly free."
Earlier, on the 2nd of this month, Lee had claimed regarding the "Starbucks cheering slogan" controversy involving the Baejae High School baseball team that "the May 18 movement has become a sanctuary on this land," and likened it to "the image of North Korea, wailing at the sight of a newspaper bearing a photo of Kim Il-sung getting soaked in the rain rather than at South Korea."
In response, Rep. Choi Min-hee of the Democratic Party fired back, saying, "Vice Chairman Lee Byung-tae asks, 'Is May 18 a sanctuary?' I will answer him: 'Yes. It is a sanctuary of democracy.'" The exchange escalated the dispute.
