Is No Woong-rae's Arrest Rejection a Stimulus? Prosecution Likely to Push Forward with Lee Jae-myung's Warrant Request

In Seocho-dong, Analysis Says "Possibility Has Increased"

Prosecutors [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Following the rejection of the arrest consent bill for Democratic Party lawmaker No Woong-rae, who is accused of bribery and violation of the Political Funds Act, attention is now focused on whether the prosecution will request an arrest warrant for Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party.

According to political and legal circles on the 29th, Lee is coordinating with the Criminal Division 3 (Chief Prosecutor Yoo Min-jong) of the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office to undergo a summons investigation between January 10 and 12 next year. This is related to allegations concerning donations to Seongnam FC. Lee said the day before, "Since I was told to appear, I think that should be understood as such." His appearance before the prosecution is virtually confirmed.

It is obvious that Lee will deny the charges during the prosecution's investigation. Political and legal circles are closely watching the next step: whether the prosecution will request an arrest warrant. In particular, they believe that the rejection of the arrest consent bill for lawmaker No will significantly influence the prosecution's decision in some way. The day before, the National Assembly conducted a secret ballot on the arrest consent bill for lawmaker No, resulting in 101 votes in favor, 161 against, and 9 abstentions out of 271 members, leading to the bill's rejection. It is reported that the Democratic Party, which holds the largest number of seats (169), overwhelmingly voted against it, reaffirming the power of the majority party and simultaneously proving that if the bill does not pass the National Assembly, Lee's arrest will also be difficult. This has led to repeated criticism labeling the assembly as a "bulletproof National Assembly."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

There is also an analysis that it would be difficult for the prosecution to actively request an arrest warrant for Lee, and this seems to be the general view. However, on the other hand, there is growing support for the analysis that the possibility of requesting an arrest warrant has actually increased.

A lawyer in Seocho-dong said, "From the prosecution's perspective, the approval or rejection of the consent bill may not have been important from the beginning." Even with a high likelihood of rejection, the prosecution's prior request for a pre-arrest warrant for lawmaker No was likely intended to highlight the seriousness of the case and the clear evidence of charges. This would allow the prosecution to secure a favorable atmosphere in court. Despite concerns about public disclosure of the suspect's facts, Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon’s explanation to the National Assembly, stating "there is a recorded file containing evidence of solicitation," can be interpreted in this context. The Democratic Party criticized Minister Han's remarks as a clear disclosure of the suspect's facts, saying "he read the indictment," but the Ministry of Justice countered, stating "explaining the criminal charges and evidence is the minister's natural duty under the National Assembly Act."

The prosecution leadership is also reported to have a firm belief in "handling Lee's case according to principles." Accordingly, there is a high possibility that the prosecution will request an arrest warrant for Lee if necessary, regardless of surrounding circumstances. Furthermore, prosecution officials view that since the bribery amount Lee allegedly received through a third party (Seongnam FC) from companies as sponsorship donations reaches 17 billion KRW, considering typical prosecution bribery investigations, arrest is deemed essential.

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