"National Assembly Shielded" "Fish to Cat"... Ruling Party Criticizes Rejection of Arrest Consent Proposal

On the 12th, the arrest warrants for lawmakers Yoon Kwan-seok and Lee Sung-man, who left the Democratic Party of Korea amid allegations of money envelope scandals during the 2021 party convention, were put to a vote in the National Assembly and rejected. The ruling party criticized this, saying, "The National Assembly has become a shield," and "It's like entrusting fish to a cat."

Park Soo-young, head of the Yeouido Institute, said on his social media (SNS) that day, "'Lee Jae-myung's Democratic Party' has turned the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea into a shield for criminal suspects," adding, "If they even refuse to undergo a substantive review of the arrest warrant in the judiciary, it raises doubts not only about their qualifications as members of the National Assembly but also about their qualifications as citizens of the Republic of Korea."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

That day, the National Assembly voted on the arrest warrants for lawmakers Yoon and Lee in the plenary session. The arrest warrant for Yoon was rejected with 139 votes in favor and 145 against, and the arrest warrant for Lee was also rejected with 133 votes in favor and 155 against.

Park criticized, "Even though the whole nation has heard the voice of the person who handed out the money envelopes, how can they be so shameless?" He pointed out, "There is only one reason: the intention to reject the next arrest warrant against Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, nothing more and nothing less."

He raised his voice, saying, "The people all know. They know the misdeeds of Leader Lee who turned the National Assembly into a refuge for criminals," and "The judiciary will judge by law, and the people will judge by voting."

Kim Byung-min, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, also said on SNS, "From the beginning, this vote was like entrusting fish to a cat. If lawmaker Yoon, known as the money envelope deliverer, were arrested, wouldn't he spill the beans about whom he handed the envelopes to? That's why everyone voted against it," adding, "The rejection of this arrest warrant is tantamount to the Democratic Party's confession that everyone received money envelopes."

He said, "Otherwise, why would the Democratic Party take the lead in shielding independent lawmakers Yoon and Lee with a bulletproof vest after the 'Lee Jung-geun recording' was made public?" He criticized, "Before spouting trivial things like forming an Innovation Committee, the Democratic Party should start a desperate reflection on how long they will continue low-quality politics that mocks the people by hiding behind the shield of immunity from arrest."

People Power Party lawmaker Cho Kyung-tae said, "This is the end of the world. It is clear evidence that the National Assembly has rotted completely," and "The political world has already lost the ability to self-purify. I earnestly ask our righteous and advanced citizens to step up and excise and correct the rotten National Assembly."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, regarding the rejection of the arrest warrants, lawmaker Yoon expressed gratitude on his SNS, calling it a "wise decision by senior and fellow lawmakers," and stated, "Through the remaining legal procedures, I will actively explain my grievances and prove my innocence with confidence." Lawmaker Lee said, "The lawmakers did not agree to the reckless attempt of the ruthless prosecution to detain me," and "I will take the lead in fighting so that the prosecution's coercive investigation and detention attempts do not ultimately lead to the violation of our people's fundamental rights and human rights."

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