Former Activist Lee Jae-oh Criticizes Democratization Courtesy Law: "Not Justified for Any Reason"

Former National Assembly member Lee Jae-oh is speaking at the debate on opposing the capital relocation titled "What is the problem with the capital relocation," hosted by the National Struggle Headquarters Against Capital Relocation, held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 12th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Former lawmaker Lee Jae-oh criticized the 'Act on the Honor and Treatment of Democratic Meritorious Persons' proposed by Woo Won-sik, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, saying, "It is wrong for any reason. It is a shameless law."

On the afternoon of the 9th, Lee posted on Facebook, "Those who have been activists should have shame and humble themselves," adding, "Just because times have improved, it is not right to create a law to honor those who participated in the democratization movement back then."

He continued, "I was imprisoned five times over more than 30 years of democratization activism, spent over 10 years in prison, and lived as a fugitive for about seven years. I was tortured at Namsan and Namyeong-dong until just before death," and said, "Even I oppose such a shameless law. I hope those in power remain humble," raising his voice.

Earlier, the bill titled 'Act on the Restoration of Honor and Compensation for Persons Related to the Democratization Movement,' led by Representative Woo Won-sik, includes provisions to fully support tuition fees for middle school, high school, and university for democratic meritorious persons and their families, as well as preferential treatment in admissions and additional points in employment. This has sparked controversy over 'self-benefiting privileges,' drawing criticism not only from opposition parties but also within the ruling party.

Meanwhile, after entering Chung-Ang University, former lawmaker Lee led the opposition movement against the 1965 Park Chung-hee regime's Korea-Japan talks, experiencing expulsion and being wanted. He later continued his path as an activist leading anti-dictatorship struggles through activities such as the Democratic Unification People's Movement (Mintongryeon), maintaining underground activism until the early 1990s.