Minju Faces Another 'Arrest Consent Bill' Dilemma... "Can't Be Bulletproof" VS "Opposition Suppression"

Proposal to Arrest Assemblymen Lee Seong-man and Yoon Kwan-seok
Reported at Today's Afternoon Plenary Session
Pro-Myeong Faction Calls It "Opposition Suppression" Amid 'Approval' Atmosphere

The Democratic Party of Korea has once again fallen into a 'motion to consent to arrest' dilemma. The motion to consent to arrest lawmakers Lee Seong-man and Yoon Kwan-seok, who are implicated in the money envelope scandal, was reported at the National Assembly plenary session held on the afternoon of the 30th. The reported agenda is scheduled to be voted on at the plenary session on the 12th of next month, and there is a growing demand within the party to resolve the ongoing morality controversies, making the possibility of approval likely.

According to political circles on the day, the Democratic Party leadership plans to leave the vote on the motion to consent to arrest the two lawmakers to the individual discretion of the members rather than adopting a party stance. Both lawmakers have already left the party, and there is considerable political burden in deciding the approval or rejection as a party line.

Previously, in the case of lawmaker No Woong-rae and party leader Lee Jae-myung, who voted on the motion to consent to arrest, the majority argued that it should be rejected due to excessive prosecution by the prosecutors. However, this time, with the money envelope scandal followed by lawmaker Kim Nam-guk’s coin investment allegations, voices are calling for a strict response to the morality controversy. If the motion to consent to arrest the two lawmakers is rejected, the Democratic Party will find it difficult to avoid the stigma of being a 'bulletproof National Assembly' once again.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Cho Eung-cheon, a member of the non-Lee Jae-myung faction, said on BBS Radio's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal' that "there is a tremendous burden regarding the image of a bulletproof party," adding, "At the party meeting, some members came out and said they felt really ashamed and betrayed. There is a lot of self-disgust within the party regarding the money envelope issue." He continued, "Overall, since they were our colleagues, there seems to be no thought of protecting them."

A senior lawmaker also explained, "Although the two lawmakers have many personal relationships with party members, apart from that, the atmosphere seems to be leaning toward approval of the motion to consent to arrest," adding, "The atmosphere is not good as the money envelope scandal is compounded by the coin investment allegations." He further added, "Putting personal friendships aside, we need to analyze the party’s future and various situations."

However, some speculate that it will not be easy to pass the motion to consent to arrest as stories emerge that many other party members are involved in the money envelope scandal related to the party convention. There is also concern about fairness issues if another motion to consent to arrest party leader Lee is brought forward again. In fact, there are claims within the party leadership that the arrest warrants should be rejected on the grounds of prosecutorial oppression of the opposition party. A party leader said, "Arrest warrants are issued when there is a risk of flight or evidence tampering, but in the case of the two lawmakers, there is no risk of flight or possibility of evidence tampering," pointing out, "It is also true that the prosecution is forcibly issuing arrest warrants." He added, "Then, if arrest warrants come for other lawmakers in the future, will the motion to consent to arrest be approved? It seems that lawmakers are contemplating this point."

Another pro-Lee Jae-myung faction lawmaker said, "The prosecution is clearly the epitome of unfairness," adding, "Although there may be some within the party who vote for approval, the party should move forward united as a single force." He also revealed, "Personally, I will cast a dissenting vote."

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