From Allegations of Lee Jae-myung and Choi Tae-won's Secret Meeting to Controversy Over Disclosure of May 18 Pro-Democracy Movement Activists List

It was alleged that Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung and SK Chairman Choi Tae-won held a secret meeting yesterday, where they discussed the promotion of semiconductor investment in Gwangju. It is presumed that not only Gwangju's semiconductor investment but also the issue of US pressure on South Korean semiconductor companies to invest was discussed during this meeting.

The US is pointing out insufficient actual investment coordination despite Korean semiconductor companies announcing over 800 trillion won in investment in Honam semiconductors. The US side is pressing for investment in its own country, showing a perception that SK Hynix or Samsung Electronics are not investing voluntarily. Amid this US investment pressure, reports of SK Hynix pursuing semiconductor investment in Japan have drawn attention to the background. This is analyzed as a move contrasting with US pressure, demonstrating the complex dynamics of the international semiconductor market.

Representative Kim Min-seok stated that he and President Lee Jae-myung designed and dreamed of the Honam Mega Project when he was prime minister. This remark has led to controversy in some circles, raising questions about whether political pressure was exerted on companies to invest in the Honam region.

The government is pursuing a plan to build 20,000 rental housing units within Yongsan Park, but there is a stark difference in position between Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. It is pointed out that it will take 8-9 years and enormous costs just for soil contamination purification of the Yongsan Park site, so actual occupancy of rental housing will take a considerable amount of time. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is firmly opposing the government's rental housing plan, arguing that the historical significance and long-term utilization of Yongsan Park should be considered. Conversely, the government maintains that utilizing the Yongsan Park site is inevitable to expand housing supply.

Although the Lee Jae-myung government announced a plan to supply 1.35 million housing units during its term, criticism has been raised that this figure is based on housing starts, not actual occupancy. If the plan were on track, approximately 200,000 to 300,000 units should have started construction within a year, but actual starts are far below this, raising increasing doubts about the effectiveness of the supply plan. Experts point out that there is a large gap between housing starts and actual occupancy, making it difficult to contribute to housing market stability with mere announcements of housing starts.

Representative Ahn Cheol-soo criticized the Democratic Party's double standards on the Yongsan Park issue, directly stating that it should not become an emergency housing site for President Lee Jae-myung or a rental housing outlet for the Democratic Party. He challenged Democratic Party members to take the lead in creating public housing sites or rental housing in their own constituencies, pointing out the contradictory stance of lawmakers like Woo Won-shik (Nowon) and Lee So-young (Gwacheon) who oppose rental housing construction in their own districts but advocate for it in Yongsan Park.

Former President Trump's remark about 57 nuclear weapons could be interpreted as a dangerous signal that North Korea might be recognized as a nuclear-armed state. If North Korea is recognized as such, denuclearization discussions would effectively be pushed aside, leading to the acceptance of nuclear weapons. This could lead to negotiations focused on limiting the number of North Korea's nuclear weapons, freezing technologies like intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and excluding attacks on the US mainland. The panelists warned that this situation would be the worst-case scenario. Concerns were also raised that recognizing North Korea as a nuclear-armed state would bring about significant changes in the Northeast Asian security order.

Allegations have surfaced of a hacking incident that led to the leakage of information about high-ranking officials at the Blue House, with the North Korean hacking group Lazarus Group possibly involved. While concerns about the scope of the leaked information are growing, the Blue House denies any information leakage. Particularly, if this incident is connected to the hacking of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy system, there are concerns that the leakage of classified diplomatic and security information could have significant ramifications.

The promotion rate of Korean Military Academy (KMA) officers to lieutenant colonel has significantly dropped from 48% to 40% in two years, showing a third consecutive year of decline. This phenomenon is more pronounced compared to the promotion rates of Air Force Academy or Naval Academy officers, and analysis is required as this difference appears despite KMA having twice as many cadets as the Air Force Academy. Some are strongly criticizing this drop in promotion rates as 'punishment for incurring Lee Jae-myung's displeasure.' Furthermore, concerns and critical perspectives are being raised that the KMA promotion rate decline could also affect discussions on the integration of the three military academies.

Criticism arose that Jo Gab-je, CEO,'s strong opposition to Representative Jang Dong-hyuk's reelection, claiming the party would break if he were reelected, was premature. Representative Jang Dong-hyuk's term runs until August next year, and it was deemed inappropriate to raise the reelection controversy when less than half of his term has passed and no party convention is approaching. Furthermore, criticism was leveled at Jo Gab-je's use of the expression 'the people should impeach him,' calling it a remark that disregards the will of party members and is legally and logically incorrect.

In response to Jo Gab-je's criticism of the Olympic Park rally as a 'coup-like idea,' a rebuttal was made that the people's right to assemble is guaranteed by the Constitution and the Assembly and Demonstration Act. It was pointed out that non-violent assemblies are guaranteed in all democratic countries worldwide, and remarks to exclude incumbent lawmakers from nomination based on this right lack realism. It was also argued that rally participants who gathered to uphold conservative values should not be denigrated.

Criticism was raised that Jo Gab-je's attacks within the conservative camp, while claiming to support Han Dong-hoon, are irrational. It was deemed difficult to understand why he attacks existing conservative forces and claims to 'rebuild conservatism' when, if he supports Han Dong-hoon, he should be fighting against Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung or the government. The opinion was raised that it would be more rational to discuss forming a new party rather than advocating for 'reconstruction' of an already solid structure. This reflects a critical view that Jo Gab-je's recent actions are undermining unity within the conservative camp and increasing confusion.

Doubts were raised about the credibility of petitions and signature campaigns in the political sphere, which claim thousands or tens of thousands of participants. It is common to attach a copy of one's ID when submitting a petition to the court, and it was pointed out that mere signatures without a certificate of impression of seal cannot guarantee their credibility. It was noted that large-scale signatures lacking a verification process, similar to the bar association's statement on current affairs, are poorly substantiated and cannot be seen as accurately reflecting the actual will of the participants.

It was argued that the list of May 18 pro-democracy movement activists, supported by public funds, should be transparently disclosed, similar to the case of independence activists. While some claim the list is already public, court rulings stating it should not be disclosed due to personal information concerns are causing confusion. Questions are being raised about the special circumstance of the May 18 activists list being undisclosed compared to those killed in the Cheonan sinking and Yeonpyeong bombardment, and calls are growing to resolve national suspicions through list disclosure.

The case of former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, who was recognized as a May 18 activist despite being incarcerated for a different incident at the time of the May 18 movement, was mentioned in a past speech, re-igniting controversy over the selection criteria for May 18 activists. This raises suspicions that individuals not directly related to the May 18 Democratization Movement could also be selected as activists, serving as one of the important backgrounds for calls to disclose the list of activists.

A critical perspective was raised that the mention of an end-of-war declaration in the Liberation Day speech could lead to a security crisis. In particular, concerns were raised that linking an end-of-war declaration with a constitutional amendment could suggest the possibility of territorial cession, in light of Article 3 of the Constitution, which states that 'the territory of the Republic of Korea shall consist of the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands.' The panelists emphasized the constitutional spirit that defines the North Korean regime as an anti-state organization, warning that an end-of-war declaration could result in recognizing North Korea as a state, thereby undermining constitutional values. This is emerging as a contentious issue highlighting the potential conflict between the direction of the Korean Peninsula peace process and constitutional values.