Kim Nam-guk: "Lee Jae-myung said 'I will go alone'... Lawmaker accompaniment is voluntary"

"Investigations that create cases even if dust is stirred up"
"A unified front is desirable"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 10th, as Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, appeared at the prosecution for an investigation into the Seongnam FC sponsorship fund allegations, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-guk announced that he voluntarily decided to accompany him, saying, "As a political comrade, it is unacceptable to let him go alone."

On the same day, Kim appeared on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' stating, "We did not discuss who should or should not go. The leadership's decision to accompany the prosecution is based on each lawmaker's judgment."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He said, "The leader said, 'The issue itself and the investigation itself are unreasonable, so there is nothing to worry about. I will face it confidently alone, so do not worry,' and asked other key party officials and lawmakers to thoroughly handle current affairs," adding, "Since the leader is being oppressed by the prosecution from the opposition party's standpoint, we decided to accompany him because we cannot let him go alone."

He continued, "Reporters keep asking how many people will come, but we have not counted or confirmed who will come, so we do not know either."

Some argue that the leadership's accompaniment is inappropriate. In response, Kim said, "A political party shares the same political orientation and policy direction, so in a way, we are political comrades," adding, "Therefore, political comrades stand together especially in difficult or challenging times."

He also criticized the excessive prosecution investigation. He said, "Looking at the various investigations against the leader, Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon assigned only close aides from the Yoon Seok-yeol faction to the investigative departments handling Lee Jae-myung's cases," adding, "They are conducting investigations that dig until dust comes out, and if no dust appears, they fabricate cases by planting dust. In such times, it is desirable for us to unite and support each other as a single front."

It is known that the Democratic Party leadership and lawmakers will accompany and protect the leader as he appears before the prosecution. About 1,500 supporters are also expected at the site. Kim said, "All the motels, accommodations, and hotels in front of the place were fully booked, and many people have been arriving since last night," adding, "I couldn't sleep early in the morning and was awake, and many people contacted me saying they were sleeping at the accommodations around 4 or 4:30 a.m."