With "Lee Jae-myung, Let the Court Doors Open"... Opposition: "Non-arrest Privilege Should Be Used at Times Like This"

Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash Over Lee Jae-myung's Arrest Motion

[Asia Economy Reporter Geum Bo-ryeong] The ruling and opposition parties clashed over the arrest consent bill for Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. While the People Power Party insisted on abandoning immunity from arrest and revealing the truth in court, the Democratic Party countered, saying, "Immunity from arrest is meant to be used in situations like this."

Jang Dong-hyeok, the floor spokesperson for the People Power Party, stated in a commentary on the 19th, "I hope Leader Lee will confidently leave the plenary session, open the doors of the courtroom, and stand before the judge to reveal the truth."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the emergency joint meeting of national regional chairpersons and members of the National Assembly held on the 17th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Spokesperson Jang added, "The person Leader Lee needs to persuade is not the Democratic Party lawmakers but the judge. Arguments are made in court, not in the National Assembly or on the streets," emphasizing, "Just as the Democratic Party opened the doors of the National Assembly to Leader Lee, now is the time to unlock the shackles of immunity from arrest and open the doors of the plenary session."

Yang Geum-hee, the chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, also said, "Which part of the legitimate investigation by the South Korean prosecution into local entrenched corruption is political oppression, and what aspect is the elimination of political opponents? The baseless slogans shouted blindly are nonsensical," pointing out, "I repeat, the corruption allegations concern only Leader Lee, not the Democratic Party."

Chief Spokesperson Yang stated, "The fastest way for the Democratic Party to head toward the will of the people is to keep the promise to abandon immunity from arrest," adding, "I hope the fall into the abyss called the 'Democratic Party Shield' will stop."

In response, the Democratic Party also rebutted. Kim Ui-gyeom, the Democratic Party spokesperson, said in a briefing that day, "Immunity from arrest is granted by the Constitution to lawmakers to prevent political manipulation abusing criminal authority," adding, "It exists to stand against atrocious prosecution like Yoon Seok-yeol's prosecution. Immunity from arrest is meant to be used in such times."

Spokesperson Kim explained, "Now, it has gone beyond protecting Lee Jae-myung as an individual. We stand at a crossroads between protecting or destroying South Korean democracy," and said, "We will boldly fight against prosecutorial dictatorship together with the people."

Lee Su-jin, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, criticized, "It is astonishing that they are not addressing the people's hardships but targeting only the leader of the main opposition party," and asked, "Who was the action agent who spat out 'blind defense' amid the personnel disaster, diplomatic disaster, security disaster, and livelihood economic disaster of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration?"

Spokesperson Lee added, "The Working National Assembly Act, passed by bipartisan agreement, commands solving the livelihood economic collapse caused by heating bills bomb, public utility fee surges, high inflation, and high interest rates," and said, "I hope the People Power Party chooses whether to be the action agents of the president and political prosecution or the ruling party responsible for state affairs."

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