Day of Destiny in the National Assembly on the 21st... Simultaneous Vote on Lee's Arrest Motion and Han's Dismissal Proposal

Dismissal Recommendation and Arrest Consent Passed in Plenary Session on the 20th
Han Deok-su's Dismissal Recommendation Holds Political Significance
Democratic Party Deliberating Over Processing of Lee Jae-myung's Arrest Consent

The National Assembly is expected to simultaneously submit and vote on the arrest consent motion for Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and the dismissal recommendation for Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at the plenary session scheduled for the 21st. On the 19th, the 20th day of his hunger strike, as Lee continues his hospital bed fast, sympathy within the opposition is expected to become a variable in the vote. The ruling and opposition parties are engaged in extreme confrontation over the votes on Lee's arrest consent motion and the prime minister's dismissal recommendation, so a fierce aftermath is anticipated in this 'vote showdown political situation.'

According to political circles, the Democratic Party submitted the dismissal recommendation for Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to the National Assembly's legislative affairs department the day before. According to the National Assembly Act, a dismissal recommendation must be voted on by secret ballot within 72 hours after 24 hours have passed since it was reported to the plenary session. Since the National Assembly has scheduled a negotiation group speech by Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, on the 20th, the report on the dismissal recommendation is also expected to be made that day. With a plenary session scheduled on the 21st as well, the dismissal recommendation is likely to be put to a vote immediately.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is responding to lawmakers' questions during the Education, Social, and Cultural Government Questioning session held at the National Assembly plenary session on the 8th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Historically, dismissal recommendations for prime ministers have been raised eight times but were either rejected or discarded due to expiration of the processing period. However, the dismissal recommendation for Prime Minister Han is highly likely to be the first to pass. According to the National Assembly Act, a dismissal recommendation initiated by more than one-third of the members can be passed by a majority of the total members. Excluding former lawmaker Choi Kang-wook, who lost his seat, the Democratic Party has 167 members, making majority passage likely. However, even if passed, it is questionable whether it will lead to an actual resignation. Unlike impeachment, dismissal recommendations carry political significance, and the current administration has already rejected two such recommendations.

Lee's arrest consent motion is also expected to be brought to the plenary session on the 21st. The court forwarded the arrest consent motion related to the prosecution's 'Baekhyun-dong and North Korea remittance' allegations to the prosecution the day before, and President Yoon approved it that day. Accordingly, the arrest consent motion for Lee will undergo the reporting procedure at the plenary session on the 20th. The National Assembly Act stipulates that a vote must be held within 24 to 72 hours after the report on an arrest consent motion, so the vote is expected to take place on the 21st.

The Democratic Party, holding the key to the vote on Lee's arrest consent motion, appears to be in a dilemma. Initially, Lee stated on June 19, "If an arrest warrant is requested, I will voluntarily appear for the warrant hearing and prove the prosecution's lawlessness." Accordingly, it was widely expected that the party would request approval of the arrest consent motion. However, Lee is currently hospitalized due to his hunger strike, and sympathy for his fast has risen within the party. Moreover, the hardline supporters are pressuring Democratic Party lawmakers via text messages and other means to reject the arrest consent motion, and they are certifying this result, increasing public pressure.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

There was already controversy during the vote on Lee's arrest consent motion on February 27. Although the Democratic Party expected an overwhelming rejection, a large number of rebel votes resulted in 139 votes in favor, exceeding the 138 votes against. At that time, there were also 9 abstentions and 11 invalid votes. Since then, it has been said that it would be difficult to guarantee rejection in any future votes on the arrest consent motion. While the internal party opinion may have shifted compared to then due to Lee's hunger strike, there is criticism that Lee's fast could ultimately become a shield-fast to block the arrest consent motion. The day before, Park Kwang-on, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said in a negotiation group speech, "Rejection is the path of shielding, and approval is the path of division; we know well that either path is a political trap to corner the Democratic Party." Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon said on YTN Radio, "Lee should reaffirm his stance of waiving the right not to be arrested, which he declared in the June negotiation group speech." This means Lee would be keeping his promise, and the party would be relieved of the burden regarding the vote outcome either way. Meanwhile, although there is talk of the Democratic Party possibly processing the Yellow Envelope Act (Amendment to the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act) and the Broadcasting Act, which were directly referred to the plenary session, at the plenary session on the 21st, the prevailing view is that the likelihood of passage is low.

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