Lee Jae-myung: "The People Power Party is the force that has burdened Incheon with debt"... The Democratic Party pushes for 'Limitation of Immunity from Arrest Act' targeting Lee

Lee Jae-myung, the standing advisor of the Democratic Party of Korea who ran in the by-election for the National Assembly member of Gyeyang-eul, Incheon, is giving an encouragement speech at the opening ceremony held at the election office of Yoon Hwan, candidate for Gyeyang District Mayor, on the afternoon of the 15th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Lee Jae-myung, Senior Advisor of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is running in the Incheon Gyeyang-eul by-election for the National Assembly, has been launching continuous attacks against the People Power Party.

On the 15th, Lee attended the opening ceremony of the election office of Yoon Hwan, the Democratic Party candidate running for Gyeyang District Mayor, and targeted the People Power Party, saying, "There are forces that made Incheon drown in debt and ranked last in the city administration evaluation, becoming a laughingstock nationwide."

Lee claimed, "Incheon has transformed from a 'debt-ridden local government' representative to a completely different local government thanks to capable Democratic Party mayors." He added, "Our Democratic Party mayors have done well, achieving great results, attracting businesses, and securing infrastructure."

He continued, "Incheon is becoming an important barometer that determines the outcome of local elections nationwide," and raised his voice, saying, "The judgment is over now, and it is time to have capable figures who will truly embrace the lives of our people."

In particular, Lee referred to the defeat in the last presidential election and urged voters to elect hardworking Democratic Party candidates in this local election and by-election. He said, "Unfortunately, many people were disappointed because of my shortcomings, and they have been going through difficulties like not even being able to turn on the TV, for which I am truly sorry," but emphasized, "There are many capable talents in our Democratic Party."

Earlier, at the opening ceremony of his own election office held in Gyeyang District the previous day, Lee also targeted the People Power Party. He actively refuted the Daejang-dong preferential treatment allegations, sharpening his words by asking, "Who is the real thief? Who is the group that pocketed money from Daejang-dong?"

Lee criticized, "The People Power Party filed a complaint against me, so the police are investigating, and they call me a suspect," adding, "If you file a complaint, you automatically become a suspect, but is it human to slander someone for becoming a suspect after you filed the complaint yourself?"

Meanwhile, the People Power Party continues its offensive against Lee. On the 11th, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, criticized Lee's candidacy in Incheon as lacking justification, saying, "It is strange that he is not running in Seongnam Bundang-gap, which includes Daejang-dong, his greatest achievement that he always promoted."

Floor leader Kwon Seong-dong also claimed, "Lee is uniquely facing numerous criminal charges and suspicions among current politicians," and argued that Lee fled to Incheon, where his election is likely, to avoid prosecution.

In particular, on the 15th, Floor Leader Kwon announced plans to push for an amendment to the National Assembly Act to limit the parliamentary immunity from arrest for lawmakers, targeting Lee.

On that day, Kwon stated on his Facebook, "There is great public distrust regarding the parliamentary immunity from arrest," and announced the proposal of an amendment to limit it. He added, "There are many criticisms that Lee's candidacy this time is aimed at exploiting parliamentary immunity," and said, "If he is truly innocent, he should actively support our amendment bill."

The amendment aims to supplement the voting requirements and procedures for arrest consent motions. According to Article 26 of the current National Assembly Act, a motion for consent to arrest a lawmaker must be reported at the first plenary session and voted on within 72 hours after 24 hours have passed. However, Floor Leader Kwon claims that if the plenary session schedule is deliberately not set, the arrest can be delayed.

Accordingly, Kwon proposed to relax the requirement to vote within "48 hours after 24 hours" from the time the motion is reported to the plenary session, and to consider the motion approved if it is not voted on. The voting on the arrest consent motion will be changed from the current anonymous vote to a roll-call vote.