Prosecutors' Non-Appearance Chosen by Lee Jae-myung... Opposition Party Highlights 'Political Oppression' and Mounts Full-Scale Response

野 "Prosecution seems like a 'Prosecution Party,' not just prosecutors" defines as 'political retaliation'
Ruling party counters, "Lee, don't mistake yourself for having extraterritorial rights"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the 1st plenary session of the 400th National Assembly (regular session) held in the main chamber of the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 1st.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who received a summons from the prosecution on charges of false statement disclosure (violation of the Public Official Election Act), did not appear on the 6th. He sent a written response to the prosecution the day before, stating that he responded to the written investigation and that the reason for appearing had disappeared. The Democratic Party defined the prosecution's investigation of Lee as 'oppression of the opposition party' and launched a party-level response. The People Power Party also intensified its offensive, claiming that Lee was using the party as his own 'bulletproof vest.'

The Democratic Party views the prosecution's summons of Lee as political retaliation and politically oppressive investigation by the government and ruling party. On the 5th, the Democratic Party held an emergency party meeting to discuss whether Lee should appear or not. As a result, they decided to recommend non-appearance, which Lee accepted. The party actively responded to Lee's personal judicial risks at the party level. The Democratic Party also plans to propose a special prosecutor law related to First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol, as a countermeasure to Lee's investigation.

Senior spokesperson Ahn Ho-young criticized in a National Assembly briefing, "What have they been doing until now that they suddenly conduct a search and seizure two days before the statute of limitations expires?" He added, "Even after searching Lee, not even dust comes out, so the prosecution's showy search and seizure ahead of Chuseok is truly political. It feels more like the 'Prosecution Party' than the prosecution."

The reason Lee decided not to appear seems to be that he judged it disadvantageous to respond to the investigation, which he defined as 'oppression of the opposition party' and 'humiliation of the leader.' Also, with the Chuseok holiday approaching, there was concern that if Lee stood at the prosecution's photo line, the image of a suspect would be emphasized, increasing negative public opinion. On the 2nd, Representative Kim Nam-guk pointed out in an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "It is obvious that instead of raising suspicions about First Lady Kim Keon-hee at the Chuseok table, they are trying to change the situation by putting the opposition leader on the photo line before Chuseok."

On the other hand, the People Power Party launched an offensive, saying Lee was using the party as his 'shield.' Floor leader Kwon Seong-dong said on Facebook, "Since the presidential election until now, the Democratic Party has been fiercely defending Lee, claiming political retaliation," adding, "Lee abused this frame to refuse to explain his crimes and returned to politics. In other words, Lee Jae-myung is the biggest beneficiary of the political retaliation frame."

He continued, "On the other hand, the biggest victim is the Democratic Party. Because they have become accustomed to the political retaliation frame, they made a politician full of judicial risks the party leader," adding, "The Democratic Party has become a political hostage itself to extend Lee's political life." On the 6th, Floor Leader Kwon also said, "Lee should not mistakenly think of himself as a sanctuary or a legal no-go zone."

Although Lee showed a friendly attitude toward the ruling party by proposing cooperation to the People Power Party immediately after taking office, the political atmosphere has rapidly frozen again due to the prosecution's summons.

Meanwhile, Lee is accused of disclosing false facts such as "He was a subordinate employee, so I did not know him while serving as mayor" regarding the late Kim Moon-gi, head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, related to the Daejang-dong development project, in a broadcast interview on December 22 last year when he was the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. The statute of limitations expires on the 9th. The legal community views that the summons of Lee and the search and seizure of Gyeonggi Provincial Government before the statute of limitations expired indicate a high possibility that Lee will be indicted.

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