"Lee Jae-myung Remains Strong"... The Double-Edged Sword of the Prosecution

Large-scale Prosecutor Summons Farewell for Opposition Leadership and Lawmakers
Lee Jae-myung Indicates Direct Confrontation with 'Indictment' Controversy
Public Opinion Expected to Fluctuate Following Prosecutor's Arrest Warrants and Others

[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok and Park Joon-yi] On the 10th, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, appeared at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch to be investigated as a suspect in connection with the 'Seongnam FC sponsorship fund suspicion' case. About 40 members of the party leadership and affiliated lawmakers gathered to see off Lee as he entered the summons investigation. What implications might there be in the scene of the leader of the main opposition party going to the prosecution investigation accompanied by opposition lawmakers?

In this unusual scene, which is hard to find precedent for, one clear point is that despite concerns over judicial risks, Lee remains influential within the Democratic Party, and the final outcome of this summons investigation could significantly sway public opinion.

1) The Significance of the Gathered Opposition Lawmakers

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is appearing on the 10th at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, to undergo investigation related to the 'Seongnam FC Sponsorship Fund Allegation' case. Photo by Joint Press Corps

According to political circles on the 11th, concerns about a day like this had been voiced even before Lee declared his candidacy for party leader. It was feared that judicial risks were inevitable and that the Democratic Party would ultimately have to bear the burden. Of course, within the party, after Lee was elected as leader, there were concerns about the party taking a front-line stance in responding to the judicial risk issue. Eventually, that day came, and the choice of Democratic Party lawmakers was to stand alongside Lee at the prosecution summons site.

Previously, former Democratic Party Emergency Committee member Park Ji-hyun expressed concern via social media the day before, saying, "(Lee) must go alone," and warned, "If the leadership accompanies him and supporters cheer, the public will define the Democratic Party as a party focused on shielding Lee Jae-myung rather than on people’s livelihoods."

Former Minister of SMEs and Startups Park Young-sun also appeared on BBS Radio’s ‘Jeon Young-shin’s Morning Journal’ on the same day, stating, "How the public perceives whether Lee goes alone or with the party leadership is very important," and added, "It might be good for the leader to publicly say at least once, 'I will go alone, so no one should come.'" She further emphasized, "The issue of Lee’s judicial risk and the party’s issue should have been separated from the start, but that did not happen well," and said, "From now on, this must be explained to the public thoroughly on two separate tracks."

On the ruling party side, there were also strong voices of criticism. Lawmaker Yoo Sang-beom said on MBC Radio’s ‘Kim Jong-bae’s Focus’ that "By equating Lee’s judicial risk with the party’s judicial risk, the Democratic Party has already fallen into the swamp of ‘Lemming politics,’" and criticized, "Depending on the Pied Piper, they are running toward a cliff." He meant that the party is caught up in Lee’s personal judicial risk and is engaging in a ‘collective suicide drama.’

However, on this day, behind Lee stood a large number of the leadership, including Floor Leader Park Hong-geun, Secretary-General Jo Jeong-sik, Policy Committee Chair Kim Seong-hwan, and Supreme Council members, showing their strength. This clearly demonstrated Lee’s status within the party despite some internal criticism. Lee received the highest-ever vote share of 77.7% at the party convention and remains the top presidential candidate within the opposition. Although he faces criticism for not increasing his approval rating despite the current government’s low ratings, conversely, his support seems to maintain a certain level.

Conversely, for the lawmakers who participated at the summons site that day, it was an opportunity to earn the trust of not only Lee but also the Democratic Party’s strong supporters. Considering next year’s general election, showing loyalty is not a bad choice.

Democratic Party Supreme Council member Seo Eun-sook told this outlet in a phone interview, "No one told us to come (to the site)," and added, "Lee said he wanted to go quietly, but everyone went on their own accord." Seo explained, "There was no discussion about the leadership going together," and said, "Just as Lee is confidently undergoing the investigation, we, as Democratic Party lawmakers and leadership, are expressing our will to stand together against oppression."

On the 10th, progressive civic groups held a rally on the sidewalk in front of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, ahead of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, appearing before the prosecution. Photo by Joint Press Corps

2) Lee Jae-myung’s Gambit of ‘Pre-decided Indictment’

On the day of the summons, Lee made a lengthy statement and, in response to reporters’ questions, said, "The prosecution has already decided the answer," calling it a "pre-decided indictment." He said, "They are tailoring the investigation to achieve indictment," and added, "Ultimately, the truth can only be determined in court." This showed that Lee was already confident of being indicted before the prosecution summons investigation. Indictment is inevitable, and the truth will have to be revealed through trial.

The current Democratic Party’s party rules state that "The Secretary-General may suspend the duties of party officials at all levels who are indicted for violations of laws related to corruption such as bribery and illegal political funds, and may request investigations by the Ethics Committee at all levels." Since third-party bribery charges are being discussed in relation to the Seongnam FC case, the possibility of applying this to Lee cannot be excluded. Although the party rules have been amended to allow exceptions through resolutions by the Party Affairs Committee in cases of ‘political oppression,’ controversy over suspension of duties upon Lee’s indictment is inevitable.

In this regard, it is interpreted that Lee is attempting to break through related controversies by accepting the prosecution’s indictment as a fait accompli.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is appearing on the 10th at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, to undergo investigation related to the 'Seongnam FC Sponsorship Fund Allegation' case. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Moreover, if Lee is indicted without detention despite the prosecution summons investigation, he could reverse public opinion regarding various suspicions. Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon said on SBS Radio’s ‘Kim Tae-hyun’s Political Show,’ "The legal arguments over third-party bribery charges are evenly matched, so the prosecution is confident, but if the court makes a different judgment and dismisses the warrant, the backlash would be enormous," and predicted, "That would greatly affect other investigations such as Daejang-dong and other cases."

Cho said, "Since trials related to Doosan and others involved in this case are ongoing, considering the trial progress, they should be tried together, so I think they will opt for indictment without detention."

As Cho predicted, if Lee is indicted without detention, it is highly likely that other investigations and the political sphere will also show different trends.

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