South Korea: 'Sound of Money Envelopes' Again?... Opposition Party Gathers Again

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The vote on the arrest consent motion for Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is just three days away. While there is disagreement between the ruling and opposition parties over the extent of potential defections within the Democratic Party, attention is also focused on whether Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon will once again disclose specific details in the arrest consent request, as he did during the arrest consent motion for Democratic Party lawmaker Roh Woong-rae. This is because such disclosures could trigger a 'backlash' that unites opposition lawmakers and reduce the number of defections.

Democratic Party lawmakers expect Minister Han to list Lee’s charges in a lengthy and detailed manner again. On the 23rd, Democratic Party lawmaker Song Gap-seok said on BBS's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal,' "It felt as if he was giving a political speech or having a political debut stage. This time, it seems it will be even more so, not less," predicting that Minister Han is likely to enumerate specific issues just as he did during the request for lawmaker Roh’s arrest consent.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the end of last year, when requesting Roh’s arrest consent, Minister Han mentioned that there was a recording of the scene where a bribe was received, including Roh’s voice saying, "You gave it last time, why again? I’m using what you gave me well," and even the rustling sound of the money envelope, which drew jeers from Democratic Party lawmakers. Similar or even more detailed content could emerge during the request for Lee’s arrest consent this time.

Democratic Party lawmaker Park Beom-gye also advised on the previous day’s SBS 'Kim Tae-hyun’s Political Show,' "From Minister Han’s perspective, thinking 'this warrant request will be rejected anyway,' he might believe that faithfully conveying his thoughts and feelings is his duty and responsibility, but he should not think that way," adding, "I hope he does not act like a prosecutor."

The ruling party also expects Minister Han to disclose detailed content. On the same day, Kim Haeng, a member of the emergency committee, said at the Gangwon Province emergency committee site, "On the 27th, at the National Assembly plenary session, only Minister Han, who will specify the contents of the arrest consent motion in detail, will become a hero."

The problem is that if Minister Han enumerates the charges in detail, he could face criticism for 'disclosing the suspect’s facts' and it could reduce the possibility of defections within the Democratic Party. Even lawmakers who were dissatisfied with Lee and intended to vote in favor of the arrest consent motion might feel repulsed by Minister Han’s remarks and cast opposing votes.

Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon appeared on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae’s Focus' and said, "(The intention to talk about the charges in detail) is, simply put, rubbing salt in the wound," adding, "When Minister Han mentioned the 'rustling sound of the money envelope' in a long statement as soon as he entered the plenary session during Roh’s case, even lawmakers who were hesitant until then became furious, saying, 'What is this?'"

Yoo In-tae, a senior Democratic Party politician and former Secretary-General of the National Assembly, said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show,' "There are many talks that the motion was rejected last time because of Minister Han. He should reflect on that," and added, "This time, he will be more dignified." This was an indirect criticism that Minister Han was undignified during the request for Roh’s arrest consent. He said, "It’s been quite a while since he became minister, so he will probably mature from now on," and pointed out, "Judging by his behavior in the National Assembly, the cabinet member is immature."

Recently, the prosecution has been indicting Democratic Party lawmakers such as Ki Dong-min and Lee Soo-jin (proportional representation) without detention, and the successive indictments of Democratic Party figures are expected to consolidate public opinion within the party. Lawmaker Ki raised his voice in a press statement, saying, "I can never accept this unfair indictment," and lawmaker Lee also rebutted, "The prosecution’s charges are completely untrue."

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