Choi Jae-sung: "Even if the arrest motion for Lee Jae-myung is rejected, the backlash will be less severe than the first time"

"Do We Have to Starve Every Time a Motion for Arrest Approval Comes Up?"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has been on a hunger strike for five days, leading to growing sympathy within the party and a proportional increase in public opinion against the approval of the arrest warrant. Meanwhile, former Blue House Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Choi Jae-sung predicted that even if the arrest warrant is rejected, the backlash would be less severe than the first rejection.

On the 4th, on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' former Senior Secretary Choi said, "Even if it is rejected, I believe that by now it has become difficult for the prosecution's behavior and timetable to gain public legitimacy or consent, so the backlash will be less than the first time."

Choi Jae-sung, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

Regarding some criticisms that Lee's hunger strike is to avoid 'judicial risk,' he said, "One of those (criticisms) is that it is a strategic choice to overcome judicial risk, and they belittle it by saying things like that. Then, does that mean he has to keep starving every time he appears or when the arrest warrant is submitted or when a warrant is requested?" He questioned, "Wasn't it different during the first (arrest warrant)?"

He added, "When the arrest warrant was first submitted over the Daejang-dong case, the prosecution's attitude was not like dealing with multiple cases of one suspect. So, it was said that they would slice it thinly like salami and request multiple warrants," and continued, "The prosecution is doing that, and saying that the hunger strike is to overcome judicial risk means he would have to keep starving."

He predicted that instead of voting on the arrest warrant, Lee might choose to undergo the review without a vote. He said, "Although it is not in the law or regulations, if the arrest warrant is submitted during the regular National Assembly session in September, it might be decided by party consensus without a vote, and then undergo the review," adding, "it will not become an issue of whether it is approved or rejected."

Regarding the controversy over relocating the statue of General Hong Beom-do at the Korea Military Academy, he said, "The president, who has become a prisoner of shallow ideology, those who contributed to the president becoming a prisoner of ideology, and the ruling party politicians who have to bow to the current power, have been acting in unison to bring about actions like the removal of General Hong Beom-do's bust," expressing suspicion that it was not a decision made by the Military Academy itself but by orders from the Presidential Office.

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