Lee Jin-sook proposes legislative changes to 5·18 merit recipient screening

People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-sook has announced plans to propose legislative amendments regarding the 5·18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. Her proposal includes making the names and official records of 5·18 merit recipients public to increase transparency and trust. Additionally, she aims to tighten the screening process by transferring the authority for compensation reviews from the Gwangju metropolitan mayor to the Prime Minister and mandating deliberations by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs' Veterans Review Committee.

Lee addressed recent controversies regarding her comments on the movement, stating she has not disparaged the event but rather argues it should not be a “sacred area” beyond scrutiny. She also announced potential legal action against Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok following his use of derogatory labels toward her.

In response, Democratic Party Floor Leader Han Byeong-do criticized Lee’s actions, stating she has “lost even the minimum of humanity.” Han accused the People Power Party of losing its ability to self-regulate and trending toward far-right politics through historical distortion and the denial of constitutional processes.