Jo Eung-cheon "Kim Hak-ui and Kwak Sang-do are innocent... but Lee Jae-myung's arrest warrant?"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Jo Eung-cheon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, emphasized that whether to support or oppose the arrest warrant for Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, should be based on "whether this is truly a matter warranting an arrest warrant."

On the 16th, Jo said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "Yesterday, Kim Hak-ui, the vice minister, was acquitted of the travel ban, and last week, our Kwak Sang-do, the senior secretary, was acquitted of the 5 billion won case. Such rulings are somewhat beyond common sense."

He added, "Behind this is the premise that the prosecution's investigation is either inadequate or incompetent. Regarding the investigation into Lee Jae-myung, which has been persistently pursued for over a year, nearly a year and a half, from my perspective as a former prosecutor, I question whether this investigation should be dragged out this long without securing clear evidence. In other words, I think the prosecution is much less competent than in the past.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He raised doubts about the prosecution's investigative capabilities. He said, "Depending on the administration, people in A-level positions are demoted to D-level, and those in D-level are promoted to A-level. This kind of practice prevents the organization from becoming healthy and sustainable. Many capable prosecutors have left. So, isn't this a reason why investigative ability is somewhat lacking?

At the same time, he shared his concerns regarding the decision on the arrest warrant. Jo said, "We have continuously promised and advocated to the public to relinquish parliamentary privileges, but facing this issue, there is a burden in changing our stance again. On the other hand, there is also the burden of simply handing over our party leader to the prosecution."

He expressed the view that the decision on the arrest warrant should be made autonomously rather than following the party line. Jo said, "All lawmakers should first review the arrest warrant, and then vote according to common sense and conscience, like a clear and pure mind."

Since the People Power Party, the Justice Party, and the Transition Korea Party are likely to vote in favor of the arrest warrant, if only 28 members defect within the Democratic Party, the warrant will pass. Jo said that the possibility of the arrest warrant passing "cannot be ruled out."

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