Lee's Arrest Warrant... Ruling Party Calls for "Abolition of Non-Arrest," Opposition Reminds of "Kim Dae-jung"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The prosecution's request on the 16th for an arrest warrant against Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, in connection with the Daejang-dong preferential treatment and Seongnam FC sponsorship fund allegations, sparked sharply divided reactions between the ruling and opposition parties. The ruling party pointed out that Lee had previously mentioned the "abolition of parliamentary immunity" and urged the opposition to join in supporting the arrest consent motion, while the opposition raised their voices, comparing Lee to former President Kim Dae-jung, who was sentenced to death under a dictatorship, calling it "political retaliation."

Park Soo-young, a member of the People Power Party, posted on his social media (SNS) that day, "He shouted for the abolition of parliamentary immunity during the presidential election, but now that he is caught, why is he backtracking?" He shared the Democratic Party's 20th presidential election manifesto containing the pledge to abolish parliamentary immunity, as well as news footage of Lee shouting for the abolition of parliamentary immunity during a local election campaign. Jo Soo-jin, also from the People Power Party, shared this on her SNS as well.

Kwon Seong-dong, a member of the People Power Party, also wrote on SNS, "If Lee has even a shred of pride as a politician, he should give up parliamentary immunity first. That is for the sake of his party and the National Assembly," and directly challenged, "Wasn't the abolition of parliamentary immunity one of Lee's presidential pledges?" Members of the National Assembly with parliamentary immunity can only be arrested if the arrest consent motion passes in the National Assembly.

Party leader candidates also launched attacks against Lee. Candidate Kim Ki-hyun said on SNS regarding the arrest consent motion, "I expect conscience within the Democratic Party," and added, "The public will watch coldly whether they will again use their overwhelming majority in the National Assembly to boldly shield Lee Jae-myung." Candidate Hwang Kyo-ahn raised his voice, saying, "An arrest warrant has been requested for Lee by the prosecution. Just as I said, justice will ultimately prevail."

On the other hand, the opposition defended Lee by comparing the arrest warrant to the death sentence former President Kim Dae-jung received under a dictatorship. Jeong Cheong-rae, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, wrote on SNS, "Did former President Kim receive a death sentence because he was guilty?" and said, "Just as the 'Kim Dae-jung killing' by former Presidents Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan failed, the 'Lee Jae-myung killing operation' will also fail."

Jeong emphasized, "As seen in the case of former President Kim, political opponents do not die just because they are killed," and added, "I hope people clearly remember the miserable end of dictators Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan, who tried to kill former President Kim. Rather, former President Kim became the victor of history."

Park Chan-dae, also a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, criticized the arrest warrant request, saying, "The recklessness of the prosecution is a catalyst that hastens the fall of the prosecutor dictatorship," and "The sword wielded like a madman will eventually strike the wielder."

Kim Nam-guk, a Democratic Party lawmaker, pointed out, "There is no risk of evidence destruction or flight, and the charges lack substance. Nevertheless, for the first time in constitutional history, an arrest warrant has been requested against the main opposition party," calling it a "clear political warrant for eliminating political opponents." He added, "The arrest consent motion for political retaliation and elimination of political opponents should rightfully be rejected."

Kim Yong-min, also a Democratic Party lawmaker, posted three times on SNS, raising his voice, "The request for an arrest warrant against Lee will ultimately imprison the political group, the prosecution. A time of national condemnation will surely come for this ruthless regime and political prosecution," while proposing an "Emergency National Regional Chairpersons Meeting of the Democratic Party" to build party consensus.

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