'BTS National Assembly vs Witch Hunt'... Will the Arrest Motion Against No Woong-rae Pass the National Assembly This Time?

Rising Voices of Protest Against Prosecutorial Investigations Within the Democratic Party
"In 2014, Kim Jae-yoon, Shin Gye-ryun, Shin Hak-yong
All 3 Arrest Consent Bills Passed in the 21st National Assembly
All 5 Arrest Consent Bills Blocked in the 20th National Assembly"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok and O Ju-yeon] As the arrest motion for Democratic Party lawmaker No Woong-rae is expected to be brought to the National Assembly, attention is focused on whether the plenary session will approve the motion. Recently, the National Assembly has shown a trend of approving arrest motions for lawmakers, conscious of the so-called 'bulletproof parliament,' but within the Democratic Party, which holds a majority of seats, voices have emerged saying "We must stand against the prosecution's investigation."

Ki Dong-min, the Democratic Party whip on the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said in an interview with MBC Radio on the 14th, "I believe that politically motivated retaliatory investigations, which are focused on opposition party figures without mechanical fairness and impartiality, are absolutely unacceptable and cannot be tolerated," adding, "Although this is not an issue that can be decided by party consensus, we must accurately recognize the politically biased retaliatory investigations taking place and be able to explain them to the public." Ki said, "I think it will be a free vote, but I believe that responsible party officials should have a proper stance on this issue as a basic duty of party politics."

Democratic Party lawmaker Ahn Min-seok also appeared on BBS Radio and said, "This almost overlaps with the 2014 case when three senior opposition lawmakers?Kim Jae-yoon, Shin Gye-ryun, and Shin Hak-yong?were arrested," adding, "There is only the testimony of the person who said they gave money, but No himself denies it and is conducting normal legislative activities, so there is no flight risk." He continued, "Issuing an arrest warrant despite no risk of evidence destruction or flight is an act of humiliation," and said, "If the arrest motion comes over, we will have to judge it, but I believe the lawmakers will make a good judgment." He added, "I know the 2014 situation well. I will persuade the lawmakers that No's case is a 'deja vu,'" indicating his intention to persuade for the rejection of the arrest motion.

A Democratic Party second-term lawmaker also told this outlet in a phone interview, "Anyone can file an arrest motion by fabricating something like in No's case," and said, "I want to persuade that it should not be passed."

No himself, the subject of the arrest motion, is actively expressing his grievances to fellow lawmakers. At a press conference held at the National Assembly Communication Office that day, he claimed, "The bundles of cash seized from my home by the prosecution are nothing but a creation of the prosecution," and said, "The small contributions collected from relatives were instantly transformed into bundles and stacks of cash." No emphasized again, "I was labeled a criminal simply because there was money at home, but was there really any bribe money? In the end, there was none," and added, "Among the congratulatory and condolence money at my residence, there was no bribe as claimed by the prosecution."

Regarding the allegation of receiving 60 million won in bribes after receiving a request, he said, "The prosecution claims that I received tens of millions of won at the first meeting with the complainant, but what politician would accept such a large sum from a private citizen at their first meeting?" He also said, "The prosecution claims that the complainant came to my constituency office on a day not on my schedule to give money, but I was attending to other matters that day." Furthermore, he said, "None of the five requests are related to my official duties," and added, "The prosecution, without any physical evidence, has ultimately requested an arrest warrant based on the complainant's intentional testimony and weak logic."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

No also appealed for the party to take active action. He said, "We must unite firmly and resolutely confront the plot to dismantle and destroy the Democratic Party. This is a clear political case related to the fate of the Democratic Party," and appealed, "Please give us the opportunity to fight against the ruthless prosecution investigation."

Since the 21st National Assembly, three arrest motions (for lawmakers Jeong Jeong-sun, Lee Sang-jik, and Jeong Chan-min) have all been processed in the plenary session, reflecting public backlash against the so-called bulletproof parliament. However, in the 20th National Assembly, all five arrest motions failed to pass the plenary session. Among the five, three (Kwon Seong-dong, Lee Woo-hyun, and Choi Kyung-hwan) were discarded, and two (Yeom Dong-ryeol and Hong Moon-jong) were rejected, meaning arrest motions were defeated in the National Assembly. Given the growing resentment within the Democratic Party toward the prosecution's investigation and concerns over judicial risks for Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, variables are intertwined, leading to predictions that the arrest motion for lawmaker No could also head into an unpredictable situation.

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