Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung appealed Friday for defending democracy from what he called the "prosecutor dictatorship" in his first reaction to the National Assembly's passage of a motion consenting to his potential arrest over corruption charges.
On Thursday, the National Assembly voted to endorse the motion to lift Lee's immunity to arrest, reflecting a growing division among the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) lawmakers, particularly those not aligned with Lee, in anticipation of next year's general elections.
"The livelihoods of the people and democracy should be guarded by stopping the recklessness and the regression of dictatorial administration by the prosecution," Lee said in a press release. This marks his first comment on the outcome of the voting.
Lee, who has been on a hunger strike for more than three weeks in protest against what he called a slew of government policy failures, once again called for unity within the party.
"If the DP crumbles, the oppression of the prosecutor dictatorship will intensify, and the consequences will fall squarely on the shoulders of the people," Lee said.
Meanwhile, the DP leadership emphasized that Lee will not step down from his post, despite the parliamentary voting result, which is largely attributed to some non-Lee faction lawmakers within the DP who voted in favor of the anonymous voting.
"Lawmakers from the same party have sold out their own party leader," said Rep. Jung Chung-rai while presiding over the party's Supreme Council meeting earlier in the day.
Rep. Jung Chung-rai, a member of the Democratic Party's Supreme Council, speaks during a party meeting in Seoul on Sept. 22, 2023. (Yonhap)
Rep. Jung Chung-rai, a member of the Democratic Party's Supreme Council, speaks during a party meeting in Seoul on Sept. 22, 2023. (Yonhap)
The approval enabled the Seoul Central District Court to conduct a hearing on the prosecutor's request for Lee's arrest, as he faces an expanding investigation into corruption allegations.
It remains unclear whether Lee will attend the meeting scheduled for next Tuesday, and the schedule may be subject to change due to potential health concerns arising from his ongoing hunger strike.
Chung presided over the meeting, as the party's floor leader Park Kwang-on, Secretary General Cho Jung-sik and other officials had offered to resign, taking responsibility for the passage of the motion
"Lee Jae-myung will not step down," Chung said, emphasizing that the party will again reunite for the victory in next April's parliamentary elections.
If the hearing proceeds as scheduled, the court's decision on whether to detain Lee will likely be made late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.
"It is time to stop the hunger strike and stand against the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's tyranny," Chung said, adding that party members will visit Lee at the hospital and ask him to stop fasting.
The DP said it will elect a new floor leader on Tuesday before the Chuseok holiday, the autumn harvest celebration, begins, in order to minimize the impact of the leadership vacuum.
The arrest motion presented by the prosecution accusing Lee of breach of trust, bribery and other charges related to a development scandal, and a North Korean remittance case was approved by parliament in a 149-136 vote.
The prosecution accuses Lee of committing breach of trust worth 20 billion won (US$15.06 million) by giving special treatment to a private developer in the Baekhyeon-dong district apartment project in the city of Seongnam, south of Seoul, between 2014 and 2015, when he was serving as the city's mayor.
In February, the prosecution's attempt to detain Lee on allegations of corruption in two separate corruption cases fell through after the parliamentary disapproval.
The DP has strongly condemned the Yoon government and the prosecution for seeking the warrant when the regular National Assembly session is under way, even though Lee declared he would cooperate. Lee had stated he would waive his privilege and consent to the warrant during a non-session period.
Speaker Kim Jin-pyo bangs the gavel to declare the passage of a motion to approve an arrest warrant for Lee Jae-myung, head of the main opposition Democratic Party, on corruption allegations in a 149-136 vote at the National Assembly in Seoul on Sept. 21, 2023. (Yonhap)
Speaker Kim Jin-pyo bangs the gavel to declare the passage of a motion to approve an arrest warrant for Lee Jae-myung, head of the main opposition Democratic Party, on corruption allegations in a 149-136 vote at the National Assembly in Seoul on Sept. 21, 2023. (Yonhap)
Source: Yonhap News Agency