Dismissal of Lee's Arrest Warrant... How Will the Democratic Party Resolve Internal Conflicts?

Pro-Moon: "Lawmakers Who Approved Must Take Political Responsibility"
Anti-Moon: "Such Actions? Unthinkable"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has escaped the risk of detention, shifting attention to whether he will embrace the Bi-myeong (anti-Lee Jae-myung) faction. After the approval of the arrest consent motion against Lee, the pro-Lee (pro-Lee Jae-myung) faction, which is the mainstream within the party, fiercely criticized the Bi-myeong faction, heightening tensions.

Seo Eun-sook, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, stated on the 27th on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that it is inevitable to hold the lawmakers who voted in favor politically accountable. Seo said, "I think it is not right to deliberately single out those who voted in favor and conduct a witch hunt," but added, "Regarding those who have revealed their votes, I believe there must be clear political responsibility."

On the 27th, the Seoul Central District Court dismissed the arrest warrant requested by the prosecution following the pre-arrest detention hearing for Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. Lee was speaking as he left the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province on the 27th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Lawmaker Ahn also refrained from specifying the exact disciplinary measures such as expulsion but said, "We must swiftly and decisively cut off what needs to be cut off," adding, "If there is no reflection and no accountability, then this is not a party. This is completely a Dangnara party."

On the same day, on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' Ahn raised his voice, saying, "Did they not become one with the People Power Party in dragging down an innocent party leader?" and "This was an unprecedented and extraordinary incident in political history." He continued, "This is a politics of betrayal that must not be tolerated," emphasizing, "They do not repent or reflect on the 'chado-sarin' (killing a passenger in a car) incident, so we cannot just cover this up and move on."

Kim Jong-min, member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

On the other hand, the Bi-myeong faction criticized the Democratic Party leadership for defining the approval vote on Lee’s arrest consent motion as a 'corresponding act,' calling it undemocratic.

Lawmaker Kim said on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that "This was a secret and anonymous vote, and demanding to reveal it is an act of betraying democracy," adding, "We promised the people to break away from being a shield party; we all resolved this together, and the party leader also promised the people. To say that this choice is a betrayal or a corresponding act is unacceptable."

Kim emphasized that after the approval of the arrest consent motion, the party was able to shed the stigma of being a 'shield party' by undergoing judicial review. Kim said, "Rather, seeking a judgment from the court, a neutral institution that reviews records from both sides, became a very important opportunity to settle this protracted conflict," adding, "For Leader Lee Jae-myung and the party, I believe this process created an opportunity to escape the public distrust that we are running away or carrying judicial risks while acting as a shield party."

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