Kim Young-hwan on Ruling Party's Democratic Merit Recognition Act: "Ashamed... Did We Fight for Democracy for This?"

The Democratic Party Withdraws the Controversial Democratic Merit Beneficiary Act Amid 'Activist Privilege' Debate

Kim Young-hwan, former Supreme Council Member of the United Future Party (currently People Power Party). [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 30th, Kim Younghwan, a Gwangju democratization movement merit recipient and former Supreme Council member of the United Future Party (now People Power Party), announced that he "returns the Gwangju democratization movement merit today" in response to a support bill for democratization merit recipients and their families proposed by ruling coalition lawmakers.

In a post on his Facebook that day, former Supreme Council member Kim said, "My family and I absolutely cannot agree to the special democratization movement bill. I bow my head and apologize to the people."

He added, "I am ashamed, deeply ashamed. Did we fight for democratization for this? What more are we supposed to receive? This completely ruins even the little pride we had. Please remove my name and my family's name from this matter."

He continued, "Now that democracy has not only regressed but completely collapsed, how should we deal with the hypocrisy and shamelessness of those who destroyed democracy in this country?"

Former Supreme Council member Kim also added, "I was imprisoned for 20 months under emergency measures starting in 1977. My wife and I were imprisoned, wanted, and expelled after Gwangju."

Seol Hoon, member of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, on the 26th, Rep. Seol Hoon of the Democratic Party of Korea, along with 73 ruling coalition lawmakers, jointly proposed the "Act on the Treatment of Democratic Merit Recipients," which designates activists involved in anti-Yushin struggles and the June Democratic Uprising as democratization movement merit recipients and provides support for education, employment, medical care, and loans not only to them and their spouses but also to their children.

Rep. Seol stated, "Currently, only those related to the April 19 Revolution and the May 18 Democratization Movement are recognized as national merit recipients and democratic merit recipients under the law, and there are criticisms that the treatment of other democratization movement participants is insufficient. Therefore, this bill aims to enact a law to provide treatment for democratic merit recipients who contributed to the expansion of citizens' basic rights through anti-Yushin struggles, the June Democratic Uprising, and others, thereby contributing to the development of a democratic society and the realization of social justice."

However, the bill faced criticism as a "self-serving special privilege bill" for lawmakers with activist backgrounds. As the controversy grew, Rep. Seol announced through a press release that "considering the controversy over the bill, a withdrawal request was submitted to the National Assembly's legislative affairs office."

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