"Opposition Humiliation vs How Long Will the Picket Protests Last?"... 3 Perspectives from the Opposition on Lee Jae-myung's Prosecutor Summons Controversy

Lee Jae-myung refuses prosecution summons on 6th
To be replaced with written investigation
Party insiders: "Must resist humiliation of opposition leader"
Jo Eung-cheon: "Party being dragged like In-gye"

On the 5th, at the emergency party members' meeting of the Democratic Party of Korea held at the National Assembly, Representative Lee Jae-myung and the members are holding picketing signs condemning the prosecution's summons of Representative Lee. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok and Park Jun-yi] Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, decided on the 6th not to comply with the prosecution's summons. Amid the realization of the party leader's 'judicial risk,' which had been a concern since the party convention, various perspectives have emerged regarding the response following the prosecution's summons request. Some view it as an attempt to disgrace the opposition leader, while others express concern that the party is being dragged along like a tripwire due to Lee's judicial risk.

Ahn Ho-young, chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party, stated in a written briefing that "Lee submitted the written statement with the necessary explanations to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and notified them by phone, in response to the written investigation requested by the prosecution the day before," adding, "Since the reason for the summons was non-compliance with the written statement, and Lee has responded to the investigation, the reason for the summons has been nullified." This means that since there was a summons request due to non-response to the written investigation, the reason for summoning has disappeared after responding in writing.

Since the prosecution's summons request on the 1st, the Democratic Party has been in a dilemma over Lee's attendance at the prosecution. According to the Democratic Party, Lee was reportedly still deliberating on whether to attend as of that morning.

① The prosecution's summons is an attempt to disgrace the opposition leader

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, received a text message at the opening ceremony of the regular National Assembly session held on the 1st at the National Assembly, saying, "A summons for the member regarding the false statement disclosure about Baekhyeon-dong, false statement disclosure related to Daejang-dong development, and the claim that Kim Moon-gi (former Head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, under investigation for Daejang-dong allegations) did not know has just arrived. This is a war." / Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

The dominant view within the Democratic Party is that the prosecution's summons carries political intent. Lee sought opinions through senior party members and influential figures within the party regarding the prosecution summons issue. The majority view is that "this is not a personal issue of Lee but a problem of the party for summoning the Democratic Party leader," and they see it as "(the prosecution) politically intending to disgrace and oppress the opposition by summoning him."

This stance was also confirmed through a resolution at the party's parliamentary meeting the day before. Democratic Party lawmakers described the summons request for Lee as "a petty retaliatory investigation against the main opposition party," and declared their determination to "firmly fight against the political oppression and neglect of public welfare by the Yoon Seok-yeol administration."

② Will there be picket protests every time a summons is requested?

On the 2nd, as the prosecution notified Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, to appear on charges of making false statements regarding the 'Baekhyeon-dong suspicion' case, the political atmosphere rapidly cooled, and all traffic lights in front of the National Assembly building showed red. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Concerns have also been raised about the party's full-scale response policy, including holding a parliamentary meeting to discuss the response direction regarding Lee's summons issue.

Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon appeared on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs' on the same day and said, "Personally, I have mentioned that if he becomes the leader, he will become a tripwire that drags the entire party along," adding, "I personally felt uncomfortable that a parliamentary meeting was held to discuss this issue." Cho said, "This is just the beginning, and it seems there will be prolonged disputes ahead. Then, will there be parliamentary meetings and picket protests demanding an end to biased investigations every time a summons is requested? I think such frequent use is unnecessary."

③ What is wrong with refusing the prosecution's summons?

Within the Democratic Party, voices expressing concern about potential disadvantages related to Lee's refusal to comply with the summons have also emerged. On the same day, spokesperson Ahn faced multiple questions from reporters asking if he was worried about possible investigative disadvantages due to refusing the summons investigation.

Regarding this, Park Yong-jin, a Democratic Party lawmaker who was Lee's final opponent in the party leadership race, also rebutted criticisms from the ruling party about Lee's refusal to comply with the prosecution's summons. He said, "At yesterday's confirmation hearing, Prosecutor General nominee Lee Won-seok described the summons of Lee as guaranteeing the opportunity to testify. If that is correct, then this should be considered a kind of right for Lee," adding, "If the facts have been sufficiently established and it is possible to do so in writing, then face-to-face attendance, according to the nominee's words, is Lee Jae-myung's right. How or whether to exercise that right is up to Lee. The People Power Party is not in a position to keep telling him to exercise or not exercise that right."

According to the prosecution's logic, Lee's refusal to attend is seen as sacrificing his rights, and thus should not be considered a factor for disadvantages or penalties.

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