Former Lawmaker Lee Jae-oh, 'Former Pro-Roh Faction Leader,' Appointed Chairman of the Democracy Movement Commemoration Association

Former lawmaker Lee Jae-oh has been appointed as the chairman of the Democracy Movement Memorial Foundation.

On the 5th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that former lawmaker Lee was appointed as the chairman of the foundation. The newly appointed chairman began his duties immediately and will serve until March 2026.

Lee Jae-oh, an advisor for the People Power Party, is taking out his mobile phone and showing the number of steps recorded that day during an interview at his office near Gwanghwamun, Seoul. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

The term of the 7th chairman, Monk Ji Seon, ended on the 23rd of last month.

When applying for the chairman position, Lee said, "From my perspective, this chairmanship is the last opportunity to serve the country," adding, "I also received recommendations from surrounding ruling and opposition lawmakers."

Lee, a five-term member of the National Assembly, played a leading role in the pro-Lee faction during the Lee Myung-bak (MB) administration. He served as a special minister and chairman of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission under the Lee Myung-bak government.

He participated in the democratization movement from the 1960s to the 1980s and was imprisoned five times during the military dictatorship era. He took part in founding the Minjung Party in 1990 but shifted his political stance by joining the Democratic Liberal Party in 1994 along with Kim Moon-soo, the current chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Council. Recently, he has served as a standing advisor to the People Power Party.

The Democracy Movement Memorial Foundation, which organizes the June 10 Democratic Uprising commemorative ceremony, recently sparked controversy by being listed as a sponsoring organization for an event with the slogan "Resign Yoon Seok-youl Regime."

Because of this, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety did not participate in this year's June 10 uprising commemorative ceremony for the first time, and the ruling party leadership, including People Power Party leader Kim Ki-hyun, also did not attend the ceremony.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety is currently conducting a special audit on the overall operational status, including the execution of project funds, of the Democracy Movement Memorial Foundation.

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