‘이진숙 포럼’으로 국회 온 ‘서울의 봄’ 그 사람…“민주주의 모독”

On May 13th, National Assembly member 이진숙 attended the '5·18 Democracy Movement Re-introduction National Assembly Open Forum' hosted by the 이진숙-led National Power Party. A few seats down from her, 89-year-old 허화평 sat, who served as the chief of staff during the 1979 military coup led by 전두환. This 허씨 is the real-life model for the actress who played 김일평 in the 2023 film 'Spring in Seoul.'

After the coup, she remained loyal to 전두환, holding various high-ranking positions in the White House and eventually becoming the deputy chief of staff at the Blue House. Alongside 허삼수 and 허문도, she was known as the 'Three H's.' During the 노태우 administration, she was elected to the National Assembly in 1992 and again in 1996. However, she was sentenced to eight years in prison and fined for her involvement in the 12·12 and 5·18 demonstrations and later received a pardon.

She currently serves as the president of the Future Korea Foundation. The chairperson of the 민주화운동동지회, 주대환, praised her for her transition to the 뉴라이트 movement. This marked the first time someone connected to the 이진숙-led forum had spoken at such an event. The event was led by 이영훈, a joint chairman of the New Representative Democratic Movement, who champions the "Open the Doors of History" platform.

They argue that many casualties during the 광주 uprising were due to coincidental factors, not state-sponsored violence. The platform also asserts that the 광주 uprising should be reinterpreted rather than removed from the constitution. 이영훈 emphasized that this is not the first time the forum has been controversial and cited the 2019 '5·18 Truth Inquiry National Assembly Public Hearing' led by the now-defunct Freedom Korea Party as another example.