Lee Jae-myung Summons Notice: Prelude to the 'Political Purge vs Bulletproof National Assembly' War

"Lee's Summons Political Suppression".. Regular National Assembly Conflict Foreseen
Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Law, Han Dong-hoon Impeachment Countermove Expected

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Koo Chae-eun and Lee Ji-eun] The opposition parties, thrown into turmoil by the prosecution's summons of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, are expected to launch a counterattack with demands for a ‘Kim Gun-hee state audit and special prosecutor’ and the ‘impeachment of Ministers Han Dong-hoon and Lee Sang-min.’ Within and outside the Democratic Party, there is a sentiment that the ruling party now has a justification to refuse ‘cooperation’ with the opposition.

Immediately, the opposition hinted at the possibility of a parliamentary deadlock, with Jin Sung-jun, the senior deputy floor leader, stating, “Relations between the ruling and opposition parties will not proceed smoothly.” In response, the People Power Party countered, with Jeon Ju-hye, a member of the emergency committee, saying, “Why not just comply with the summons?” This has created a tense standoff between the ‘investigation political situation’ and the ‘shielding parliament.’

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, received a text message from Kim Hyun-ji, aide (former secretary at Gyeonggi Provincial Government), during the opening ceremony of the regular National Assembly session held on the 1st at the National Assembly. The message read, "A summons for the member regarding the false statement disclosure about Baekhyeon-dong, false statement disclosure related to Daejang-dong development, and the claim of not knowing Kim Moon-gi (who was under investigation related to the Daejang-dong suspicion and served as the head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation) has just arrived. This is a war." / Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is making a phone call at the opening ceremony of the regular National Assembly session held on the 1st./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

On the 2nd, Lee visited the Gwangju 5·18 Democratic Cemetery. However, when asked about his stance on the prosecution’s summons, he avoided answering and left the scene. The Democratic Party is boiling with anger internally. At the Supreme Council meeting held in Gwangju that day, floor leader Park Hong-geun criticized, saying, “It has become clear that the real purpose was not governance but investigation,” and added, “It is unprecedented to announce the summons of the leader of the main opposition party on the first day of the regular session.” He fiercely attacked, “Summoning the party leader based on unverified facts is political oppression.”

Jin Sung-jun, the Democratic Party’s senior deputy floor leader, also said on the radio that “depending on the situation, we cannot rule out the possibility of pushing the ‘Kim Gun-hee special prosecutor law’ as the party’s official stance.” Earlier, on the 22nd of last month, Representative Kim Yong-min introduced the ‘Act on the Appointment of a Special Prosecutor for the Investigation of Kim Gun-hee’s Stock Price Manipulation and False Career Incidents’ (Kim Gun-hee Special Prosecutor Law). As the ruling party with 169 seats, if the Democratic Party pushes the Kim Gun-hee special prosecutor law, an unprecedented situation could arise where both the prosecution’s investigation and the special prosecutor’s probe are targeting the same case. Supreme Council member Seo Young-kyo also stated, “Ministers Han Dong-hoon and Lee Sang-min are steadily accumulating grounds for impeachment,” indicating a high possibility of pulling out the impeachment card against the ministers.

Above all, there is growing weight to the possibility that the regular session’s bill processing will face disruption. Jin pointed out that although the party is not currently considering boycotting the parliamentary schedule, cooperation and negotiation between the ruling and opposition parties have become more difficult. He said, “If emotional confrontation and clashes between the ruling and opposition parties intensify, it will inevitably affect the regular session.”

Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, is attending the party floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 1st and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Lee Jae-myung, the newly appointed leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is greeting Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, at the National Assembly on the 31st. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

The People Power Party side is countering by saying this is an ongoing issue that started before Lee took office. Jeon Ju-hye, a member of the People Power Party’s emergency committee, appeared on the radio and said, “If Lee is confident, he should comply with the prosecution’s summons on the 6th,” adding, “Since the statute of limitations expires on the 9th, the prosecution might be forced to indict even if they cannot summon him, creating a ridiculous situation.”

Seong Il-jong, the People Power Party’s policy chief, also said on the radio that “if he actively steps forward and openly clarifies the matter, his position will become stronger, and he will have a much better standing within the party for the next presidential election.” Kim Ki-hyun, one of the People Power Party’s next party leadership candidates, responded directly on his social network service (SNS) to a text message from Lee’s close aide saying “This is war,” stating, “It is indeed war, a war against power-type crimes.”

It is rare for an opposition party leader to be investigated by the prosecution over official statements rather than power-related corruption cases. In 1989, then-People’s Party leader Kim Dae-jung was investigated in connection with former lawmaker Seo Kyung-won’s illegal entry into North Korea. In 1993, Jeong Ju-young, leader of the Unification National Party, was summoned for investigation on charges of election law violations.

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