"Cooperation is in the trash..." Opposition Party Signals Strong Response to Raid on Party Headquarters

Lee Jae-myung "The Truth Is Clear"
Park Hong-geun "Unprecedented Prosecution Coup"
Exclusion of Livelihood Legislation from Budget Processing
Policy to Fully Investigate Political Oppression
Ruling and Opposition Floor Leaders' Meeting Also Canceled
Attendance at National Assembly Audit Except Judiciary Committee

[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon and Park Jun-i] On the 20th, the Democratic Party of Korea announced a strong response, stating that "cooperation has been thrown into the trash" in relation to the prosecution's search and seizure of the central party office. The scheduled meeting between the ruling and opposition floor leaders chaired by the Speaker of the National Assembly was also canceled, and the party has decided to effectively boycott the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit. However, lawmakers from both parties on the Judiciary Committee are still discussing the final decision. The Democratic Party plans to devote all remaining efforts in the regular session, except for passing livelihood-related legislation and budgets, to investigating the political oppression by the Yoon Seok-yeol administration.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending an emergency party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 20th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

At the Democratic Party's general assembly on the same day, intense reactions poured out. Lee Jae-myung, the party leader who is under the prosecution's scrutiny, strongly denied allegations regarding presidential election funds, saying, "The truth is clear."

He stated, "If the claim that (former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Planning Director Yoo Dong-gyu) gave presidential election funds to Kim Yong, deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute, is true, there is an interview where Nam Wook said when he returned to Korea last fall, 'I tried for 10 years but it didn't work,'" adding, "There are internal recordings where they say, 'If the Seongnam mayor's office finds out about the money we exchanged among ourselves, it would be a big problem. Let's keep it a secret until we die.'" He further said, "After the regime changed and the prosecution changed, the story changed," and added, "They must abandon the idea of suppressing the opposition and eliminating political rivals through such fabrications to maintain power." After the assembly, Lee emphasized again to reporters, "Regarding presidential election funds, we have never used even one won of illegal funds."

The Democratic Party views the prosecution's search and seizure as related to the investigation of illegal political funds involving Kim Yong, the newly appointed deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute, and sees the government as using this as a pretext to start 'political retaliation' in earnest.

Park Hong-geun, the floor leader, emphasized that Kim was appointed on the 11th and had only come to work three times, saying, "The prosecution barged into the central party office of the largest opposition party under the pretext of investigating a deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute who only entered three times. Since democratization, no regime has so shamelessly and brazenly abandoned urgent national issues to fully engage in suppressing the opposition and political retaliation." He strongly criticized, saying, "This will be recorded as an unprecedented prosecutorial coup." He added, "All 169 Democratic Party lawmakers will face this emergency situation with an emergency mindset starting today," and emphasized, "Except for passing livelihood-related legislation and budgets in the remaining regular session, we will devote all efforts to investigating various suspicions of the Yoon administration's political oppression."

On the 20th, at the emergency party members' meeting of the Democratic Party of Korea held at the National Assembly, Representative Lee Jae-myung, Floor Leader Park Hong-geun, and other members protested against the prosecution's attempt to search the Democratic Party headquarters by holding picket signs. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

All Democratic Party lawmakers also issued a 'Statement Condemning Political Oppression by the Yoon Seok-yeol Administration' at the general assembly, criticizing, "The attempt to search and seize the office of the largest opposition party is a regressive political behavior unprecedented in history." In the statement, they said, "Ask people on the street. Is there any way to explain this shameless regime's behavior without using the term 'political retaliation'?" They added, "Today, the Yoon Seok-yeol administration has thrown Korean politics to the ground. Cooperation has been thrown into the trash, and the country's economy and security stand on the brink." They vowed to "fight to the end against the shameless regime's conspiracy to maintain power through lies, hypocrisy, incompetence, and oppression," demanding the cessation of the prosecution's search and seizure attempts, an end to political oppression at the government level, and the resignation of the Prosecutor General.

However, the Democratic Party lawmakers decided to proceed with the audit as scheduled except for the Judiciary Committee. After the assembly, floor spokesperson Lee Su-jin told reporters, "The audit plays an important role in protecting people's livelihoods and properly checking the government as the opposition," adding, "Although the government and ruling party have abandoned people's livelihoods, the Democratic Party will work to protect livelihoods until the end," expressing determination to participate in the audit despite the search and seizure situation.

On the 20th, during the National Assembly inspection of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office held at the National Assembly, Democratic Party lawmakers protested the attempt to search the central party headquarters and did not attend the inspection, leaving their seats empty. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

Ki Dong-min, the secretary of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, and committee members are holding a press conference condemning the attempted search of the Democratic Party Central Party Office in front of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting room on the 20th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

However, the Judiciary Committee's audit against the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and others will undergo further discussion. Opposition lawmakers on the Judiciary Committee held a press conference condemning the search and seizure attempt on the morning of the scheduled audit day, demanding ▲the halt of the Democratic Party central office search and seizure ▲apologies from President Yoon Seok-yeol and Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon ▲resignation of Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok ▲disciplinary action against Seoul Central District Prosecutor Song Kyung-ho. They stated that if these demands are not met, they will not participate in the audit.

During the Judiciary Committee audit held that day without opposition lawmakers, ruling party lawmakers criticized the opposition. Jang Dong-hyuk of the People Power Party said, "It is very regrettable that the Democratic Party is protesting and not entering the audit hall," adding, "They are obstructing the rule of law and justice and challenging the people."

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