'Voluntary Participation' Claimed but
Jo Eung-cheon: "Unified Response Could Solidify Bulletproof Frame"
Joo Ho-young: "January Special Session Is Lee Jae-myung's Bulletproof Shield"
Supporters and Conservative Rally Counterprotest in Front of Seongnam District Prosecutors' Office
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] As Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, appeared at the prosecution on the morning of the 10th regarding the 'Seongnam FC sponsorship fund' allegations, controversy over the Democratic Party leadership accompanying him has intensified as a 'shield'. While the Democratic Party is cautious about the emergence of the shield controversy and emphasizes the principle of separation from the party, the People Power Party is strengthening its offensive with a 'shield frame' against the Democratic Party.
Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-guk appeared on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the same day, stating, "We did not discuss who should or should not go," and explained that the leadership's accompaniment to the prosecution was based on the individual judgment of each lawmaker.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 9th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
Lee expressed his intention to "go alone," but as political comrades in a party, it is necessary to accompany him. He added, "Reporters keep asking how many people will come, but we have not counted or confirmed who will come, so we do not know either." He also reminded that there have been past cases where party leadership accompanied figures such as former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook.
However, there are concerns that the Democratic Party leadership's accompaniment could reinforce the so-called 'shield frame,' implying that the party is protecting Lee's judicial risks. Former Democratic Party emergency committee member Park Ji-hyun raised the issue on social media the day before, saying, "It is unacceptable for the leadership to accompany Lee to the prosecution summons scheduled for tomorrow. He must go alone," and warned, "If the leadership accompanies him and supporters cheer, the public will define the Democratic Party as a party dedicated to shielding Lee rather than focusing on people's livelihoods."
Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon also pointed out on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "Putting supporters aside, from the perspective of the leadership who see each other daily, it is not entirely incomprehensible on a human level," but he criticized, "The ruling party's shield frame started operating from the time Lee announced his candidacy for Gyeyang."
He continued, "Each time, we have united as a single front and continued like that. Now, this act only solidifies that shield frame," adding, "We need to provide an alibi that we are not shielding, but it is becoming increasingly difficult."
The People Power Party also attacked the Democratic Party with the 'shield frame' on the same day. Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, said, "The January extraordinary session is a shield session for Lee," adding, "We agreed to hold the extraordinary session after the Lunar New Year, but the Democratic Party held the session immediately from the 9th, right after the December extraordinary session ended on January 8th."
The Democratic Party convened the January extraordinary session unilaterally to handle livelihood bills such as the Grain Management Act, the Safe Freight System, and the Yellow Envelope Act. The People Power Party defines this as a 'shield'. They argue there is no urgent issue requiring the immediate opening of the extraordinary session. He said, "There is no urgent issue to be addressed before the Lunar New Year, and according to the National Assembly Act, the National Assembly is not supposed to convene in January or July," adding, "Even if there are bills that must be handled as the Democratic Party claims it is a 'livelihood session,' the session could be postponed by about a week."
Floor leader Joo claims that this National Assembly session is a shield for Democratic Party lawmaker Roh Woong-rae and leader Lee Jae-myung. He pointed out, "Because the extraordinary session started immediately on the 9th, the arrest motion for lawmaker Roh has not been approved, so the investigation is proceeding without detention," and "Even if the prosecution deems it necessary to detain Lee Jae-myung, the shield of the National Assembly's arrest motion awaits any warrant request."
Meanwhile, Lee appeared at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch around 10:30 a.m. as a suspect to be investigated regarding the 'Seongnam FC sponsorship fund' allegations. About 1,500 of Lee's supporters and conservative groups gathered in front of the Seongnam branch to hold counter-demonstrations.
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