Lee Byung-tae, vice chair of the Regulatory Rationalization Committee, resigned Monday after criticizing the punishment imposed on high school baseball players for mocking the Gwangju Democratic Uprising, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
The committee was established to advance deregulation across a wide range of sectors as part of the administration's efforts to promote innovation, with President Lee Jae Myung serving as chair and the prime minister as a vice chair.
Lee, a business professor at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, has long been known as a conservative commentator. His appointment had been viewed as part of the president's effort to broaden the administration's reach beyond traditional political lines.
However, after Lee criticized the Korea Baseball and Softball Association for disciplining Paichai High School players who chanted slogans mocking the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising during a game against Gwangju Jeil High School, the presidential office recommended that he step down.
On Friday, Lee wrote on Facebook that "the Gwangju Uprising has become a sacred area." He also compared the public backlash to North Korea, saying it was akin to people there breaking into tears even when a portrait of the country's leader is merely soaked by rain.
During the June 29 game, Paichai High School players chanted "I'll go Starbucks" and "Tank Day," referencing Starbucks Korea's "Tank Day" promotion, which had already drawn criticism since May because of its perceived association with the military crackdown on the Gwangju Democratic Uprising in 1980.
The KBSA subsequently barred the players from participating in national tournaments for six months.
"The presidential office emphasized that, as a senior member appointed to a presidential committee with significant authority and responsibility, he was expected to make efforts to align with the government's policy direction and issued a warning accordingly," the presidential office said.
It added that the Lee Jae Myung administration "will continue its efforts to broaden its outreach beyond conservative and progressive camps through an inclusive approach."
forestjs@heraldcorp.com
