No Woong-rae Arrest Motion 'Countdown'... Will It Be Rejected This Time?

Report on No Assemblyman Arrest Consent Bill to Plenary Session on 23rd
Vote Possible by 28th at the Latest
Strong Sympathy Opinion within Democratic Party

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] On the 23rd, when next year's budget bill was passed in the plenary session, the arrest motion for Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker No Woong-rae was reported, officially starting the countdown to the vote.

On the 26th, in political circles, there is a forecast that sympathy within the Democratic Party may lead to the rejection of the arrest motion at the plenary session on the 28th at the latest.

According to the current National Assembly Act, an arrest motion must be voted on within 72 hours after 24 hours have passed since its reporting. However, the Act stipulates in a proviso that if it is not processed within this period, it must be voted on at the first plenary session thereafter. Considering the National Assembly Act and other factors, if no separate plenary session is held on that day, it is highly likely that the vote will be processed at the plenary session on the 28th, which is scheduled to handle the sunset law expiring this year.

Since the 21st National Assembly, three arrest motions have been submitted, all of which were approved. Despite the 72-hour lapse rule due to the amendment of the National Assembly Act, the vote inevitably had to be held, largely due to public pressure against a "bulletproof" National Assembly. However, there is speculation that the situation may differ in this arrest motion.

Internal Opposition to the Arrest Motion
Ruling Party May Vote Against to Frame 'Bulletproof'
No Woong-rae's Efforts to Save Himself

There are three main reasons.

First, there is strong opposition within the Democratic Party, which holds 169 seats, against the arrest motion for lawmaker No. Due to the prosecution's all-out investigation into the Democratic Party and other factors, doubts about the fairness of the investigation into No, who is accused of bribery and violation of the Political Funds Act, are widespread.

Kim Nam-guk, Deputy Secretary-General of the Democratic Party, appeared on MBC Radio’s "Kim Jong-bae’s Focus" and conveyed the atmosphere, saying, "The party’s mood strongly leans toward the idea that, in principle, a non-custodial investigation is appropriate." An Min-seok, a five-term senior Democratic Party lawmaker, also said on CBS Radio’s "Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show," "I don’t know if it will be rejected, but I think it should be rejected, and I am appealing to the lawmakers accordingly." Officially, the Democratic Party states that there is no party stance on this issue, but the party leadership and senior lawmakers appear to be leading the public opinion toward rejecting the arrest motion.

Another reason is the possibility of joining the rejection of the arrest motion for lawmaker No. This hypothesis was raised by Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon and others, suggesting that the ruling party may be passive in approving the arrest motion to portray the Democratic Party as a "bulletproof party." On the 15th, Cho said on CBS Radio, "When the actual vote takes place, there is talk that the ruling party (People Power Party) lawmakers will overwhelmingly vote against (the arrest motion)," adding, "The ruling party may try to impose the 'bulletproof' image on the Democratic Party."

Lawmaker No himself is actively working to save himself. On the 23rd, he sent a letter to fellow lawmakers stating, "The current arrest motion virtually nullifies the court’s warrant review, preventing even minimal defense rights and further undermining the principle of separation of powers, making it a reverse discrimination rather than a privilege," and appealed, "Please protect me so that I can receive a fair court judgment, not the prosecution’s manipulation or media play." Previously, No had also sent letters appealing for the rejection of the arrest motion.

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