SEOUL– Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said Wednesday that President Yoon Suk Yeol is abusing state power to drag him down and even called Yoon a “gangster,” after prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for him over corruption charges.
“If the president plays with the state power, that is a gangster, not the president, isn’t it?” Lee, the chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), said in a party meeting, referring to the prosecution’s investigation into him.
Lee faces charges of corruption and bribery allegations in connection with development projects and donations to a municipal football club dating back to his time as the mayor of Seongnam, south of Seoul, from 2010-2018.
Last week, prosecutors sought a warrant to arrest him, marking the first such move ever for a leader of the country’s largest opposition party. The justice ministry has since asked for parliamentary consent to his arrest as required by law to detain a lawmaker while parliament is in session.
“People who have relations to Lee Jae-myung, including his family, friends, sponsors, neighbors, supporters and acquaintances, are suffering too much because of me,” Lee said, noting the prosecution conducted an unprecedented number of raids in his case.
Lee also refuted allegations that he conspired with private companies to allow them to reap astronomical profits from the development projects.
The National Assembly is scheduled to hold a vote next Monday on the government’s request for consent to Lee’s arrest. But observers say the request is unlikely to pass parliament as the DP has majority power, holding 169 out of the 299 seats.
Source: Yonhap News Agency