'Reemergence of Lee Jae-myung's Judicial Risk... Democratic Party VS Prosecution, Tug-of-War Over Attendance Schedule'

Lee Jae-myung Agrees to "Be Investigated on the 24th" Following Prosecutors' Summons
Prosecutors Notify Attendance on the 30th as Scheduled
Kim Ki-hyun States "This Is a Serious Crime, Not an Outing"

The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leader Lee Jae-myung's 'judicial risk' has sparked a war of nerves between the DPK and the prosecution. The DPK insists that the prosecution's request for an arrest warrant should be made during the parliamentary recess, but the prosecution has stated it will proceed 'as scheduled,' making it likely that a vote on the arrest motion for Lee will take place during the September regular session of the National Assembly. The DPK strongly opposes this, claiming that the prosecution's 'warrant request during the session' is intended to force the National Assembly to vote on Lee's arrest motion and ultimately to incite 'opposition party conflict and division.'

According to political and legal circles on the 24th, the prosecution (Criminal Division 6 of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office), investigating the Ssangbangwool Group's 'North Korea remittance' allegations, has notified Lee to appear on the 30th. Lee expressed his intention to appear on the 24th, but the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office stated the day before, "Considering the investigation and trial schedule planned for the 23rd, we requested Lee's side by phone and in writing to appear on the 30th, and we plan to proceed with the investigation according to that schedule."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at an emergency party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 24th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The DPK anticipates that, according to this summons schedule, an arrest warrant for Lee will be requested in September. If the warrant is requested during the session, the National Assembly must go through a 'vote on the arrest motion.' The DPK fears that in this case, the party will again experience conflict divided between 'anti-Lee' and 'pro-Lee' factions over Lee's position. During the vote on Lee's arrest motion in February, the 'no' votes reached 138, narrowly defeating the motion, but afterward, among the DPK's hardline members, there was controversy over attempts to identify lawmakers who voted in favor.

For this reason, Lee requested that the warrant be requested during the August extraordinary session recess so that he could undergo the warrant's substantive review without a vote on the arrest motion. On the previous day, Floor Leader Park Kwang-on said at the Supreme Council meeting, "The prosecution's insistence on sending the arrest motion for Lee during the regular session is a political act intended to corner and damage the DPK," adding, "If the arrest motion is rejected, they attack the DPK for being 'shielded,' and if it passes, they aim to politically damage the DPK by claiming division. The public already knows this is an intention to create a 'flower card' in the game of Go."

The DPK's Committee Against Prosecution's Dictatorial Political Oppression held a press conference that day, denouncing the current Ssangbangwool investigation as a 'fabricated investigation.' The committee criticized, "Analyzing the indictment, the basic facts such as the process of giving money, the timing, location, and recipients are all inconsistent and chaotic," adding, "Nothing is accurate."

The DPK plans to conclude the August extraordinary session within this week. On the other hand, the People Power Party (PPP) is passive. PPP Floor Leader Yoon Jae-ok said at a meeting the day before, "The DPK's claim for a warrant request during the recess is another demand for privilege." He also told reporters, "There is currently no agreement between the two parties regarding the legislative schedule," which is interpreted as a possibility of not having a recess period.

PPP leader Kim Ki-hyun criticized at the Supreme Council meeting that morning, "The prosecution notified Lee to appear on the 30th, but Lee arbitrarily said he would appear today and then said he would not appear today," adding, "He is under investigation for serious criminal charges, not going on a picnic." He continued, "A truly confident person can attend an investigation anytime and anywhere. What is there to fear?" and criticized, "Obsessing over political calculations such as deciding when to request a warrant or making the appearance date tomorrow can only be seen as an escape tactic because he is not confident."

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