'Proposal to Boycott General Lee' Becomes Reality Amid Democratic Party Infighting

"Are You Saying to Retract the Promise Not to Arrest?"
Lee's Warrant Request Possible... Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash During Session

As the prosecution's investigation targeting Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, gains momentum, controversy is growing after the pro-Lee faction recently proposed a 'boycott of the arrest consent vote.' The anti-Lee faction is opposing this, questioning whether the promise to forgo immunity from arrest is to be nullified.

The boycott proposal came from the 'Democratic Party National Innovation Council,' a gathering of pro-Lee non-parliamentary figures, on the 20th. Min Hyung-bae, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said that the prosecution seems to be planning to request an arrest warrant during the September regular session of the National Assembly, adding, "We will protect Leader Lee and the Democratic Party by refusing to vote. Once the vote starts, Democratic Party lawmakers can all leave together."

Jeong Cheong-rae, a Supreme Council member, also agreed, saying, "It is incomprehensible that (Democratic Party) lawmakers, who should say 'do not arrest' when the ruthless prosecution tries to arrest the party leader, are instead stamping approval. The party leader is our flag and symbol."

This proposal directly contradicts Leader Lee's declaration in June to forgo immunity from arrest.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 16th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Cho Eung-cheon, a Democratic Party lawmaker from the anti-Lee faction, sharply criticized the proposal, saying, "According to the National Assembly Act, it is practically impossible."

On the same day, Cho appeared on YTN radio and explained, "Once the arrest consent motion is first reported to the plenary session, a vote must be held within 72 hours, and if the vote does not occur, it must be voted on again at the next plenary session. Even if there is a boycott, the motion will continue to be tabled until the end of the 21st National Assembly." He added, "So, if the bullet is loaded but the trigger is not pulled, eventually it has to be pulled once. Are they going to avoid it until the end of the 21st National Assembly? Does that mean the plenary session will not be held? This is practically impossible."

He also pointed out, "The public's patience has already run out." Cho said, "The stigma of being a 'bulletproof party' has become one of the major factors undermining public trust in our party. If we proceed like this, how will the public view us?"

Lawmaker Ko Min-jung also criticized the proposal, saying, "I want to confirm whether this means they want to break their promise." On the 21st, Ko appeared on CBS radio and said, "The Democratic Party's stance on the arrest consent motion proposed by the Innovation Committee led by Kim Eun-kyung and the leadership's response have already been made. I think it is politics to keep promises once they are made."

Interest is now focused on the timing of the prosecution's request for an arrest warrant. The timing is crucial because it is impossible to avoid a vote on the arrest consent motion during the September regular session. The Democratic Party has been urging the prosecution to request the warrant during the non-session period this month, which would allow skipping the vote on the arrest consent motion?a source of factional conflict and criticism of the party as a 'bulletproof party'?and enable Leader Lee to directly undergo the court's warrant review.

From the Democratic Party's perspective ahead of the general election, it could be burdensome if the issue of Leader Lee's arrest warrant remains unresolved and overshadows livelihood issues during the Chuseok holiday. Lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon said, "From a political judgment standpoint, it would be best for the People Power Party if the conclusion on Leader Lee's arrest warrant is not reached before the issue arises. But the prosecution should not make such (political) judgments."

Currently, the two major parties have failed to agree on the schedule for the August extraordinary session of the National Assembly and remain at an impasse. The Democratic Party, burdened by a long session, intends to end the session on the 25th and leave the last week of August as a non-session period, while the People Power Party insists on holding the extraordinary session until the end of this month as per the rules.

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