60,000 Democratic Party Members Support "Lee Jae-myung Bulletproof" Petition... Opposition Emergency Committee Responds Directly

Opposition's Petition to Amend or Delete 'Suspension Upon Indictment' Rule
New Petition Surpasses 50,000 Signatures in Five Days
Criticism Claims Intent to Shield Lee Jae-myung's Judicial Risks

Screenshot of the Democratic Party of Korea member petition board homepage.

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Yunjin Kim] A party member petition requesting the revision of the party constitution clause that stipulates the suspension of duties for party officials indicted on charges of corruption has garnered the support of 60,000 members, prompting an official response from the party. Some within the party criticize this as a "shield petition" aimed at protecting Representative Lee Jae-myung, who is currently under prosecution investigation.

On the 1st, the Democratic Party unveiled the "Democratic Party Member Petition System" to establish an official communication channel with party members. The website grants access rights to registered members who have paid party dues at least once. Petitions that receive support from more than 100 registered members are made public; those with over 20,000 supporters are reported to the leadership, and petitions with more than 50,000 supporters receive an official party response.

Among approximately 14 petitions made public by the 5th, the "Request for Amendment of Party Constitution and Rules" petition was the first to surpass 50,000 supporters. On the 5th, spokesperson Shin Hyun-young told reporters after the Emergency Committee meeting, "The petition was reported to the leadership, the Emergency Committee, today," adding, "The Party Convention Preparation Committee is scheduled to convene in mid-month, where the amendment proposal will be discussed and reported back to the Emergency Committee."

The petition demands the amendment or deletion of Article 80 of the Democratic Party Constitution, which regulates sanctions against those involved in corruption. Article 80 stipulates that party officials indicted by the prosecution on corruption charges must have their duties suspended immediately upon indictment. However, if there is a recognized unjust reason, the Ethics Tribunal may rescind or suspend the sanction through a resolution.

The petitioner stated, "As we move beyond a prosecution republic to a prosecution dictatorship, it is clear that indiscriminate indictments against opposition party Democratic Party members will occur," and insisted that party members' opinions should be reflected in disciplinary actions against indicted officials. The petitioner argued that the decision to rescind or suspend sanctions should be made by the Supreme Council's resolution, or through a party member vote following resolutions by both the Ethics Tribunal and the Supreme Council, rather than solely by the Ethics Tribunal.

However, some critics argue that this petition is a "shield petition" intended to protect Representative Lee Jae-myung, a leading candidate for party leader. Lee is currently under investigation by prosecutors and police over allegations including preferential treatment in the Daejang-dong development project and the payment of legal fees, raising concerns about the realization of so-called "judicial risks." Analysts suggest that Lee's supporters rallied behind this petition to prevent his suspension from duties if indicted by the prosecution.

On the 5th, party leadership contenders competing against Lee expressed concerns about the petition on their social media platforms. Representative Park Yong-jin stated, "This is a minimal safeguard to prevent the entire party from falling into danger and a symbolic clause that does not allow those involved in corruption. Deciding on corruption-related matters through political decisions by the Supreme Council and party member votes is unprecedented," he said sharply. Park also urged Lee to officially request his staunch supporters, known as Gaeddal (Lee’s hardcore fanbase), to exercise restraint, warning that fandoms that promote factionalism are not healthy fandoms.

Representative Kang Hoon-sik also pointed out that "given that this issue was raised just before the party convention assuming the election of a specific candidate, it may be seen as a 'party constitution amendment for a specific person,'" indicating that the petition is mindful of Lee's position. However, Kang acknowledged the petition's validity by stating, "There is a real possibility of opposition party suppression through intentional targeted investigations and indictments," and proposed an amendment to the party constitution to suspend party duties only if a guilty verdict is handed down in the first trial, as a safeguard against political interference by the prosecution.

The Democratic Party is expected to respond directly to the petition before the Emergency Committee's term ends and the August 28 party convention. Spokesperson Shin said, "We have not set a clear deadline for the response. We will do our best to respond quickly," adding, "We will do our utmost to explain in a way that party members can understand, in line with the purpose of the member petition board."

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