Justice Party "Opposition to Immunity from Arrest Is Consistent Party Position"
Party Stance on Supporting Arrest Consent Bill Is "To Be Discussed"
[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The Justice Party expressed "concern" over the prosecution's request for an arrest warrant against Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. The Justice Party reiterated its party stance on Lee's waiver of immunity from arrest but explained that its position on the arrest consent bill for Lee has not been decided.
On the 16th, Kim Hee-seo, chief spokesperson of the Justice Party, said, "This morning, the prosecution requested an arrest warrant for Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung on charges including breach of trust and bribery," adding, "This is an unfortunate situation unprecedented in our constitutional history. I am very concerned that discussions on the livelihood issues, which have collapsed beyond any further decline, may once again disappear and be extinguished due to extreme confrontations between political camps."
The Justice Party also noted that Lee has responded to summons investigations so far and conveyed a warning to the prosecution regarding the request for an arrest warrant against the opposition leader. Spokesperson Kim said, "The request for an arrest warrant against the opposition leader should have been handled with utmost caution," adding, "The public has witnessed all the processes in which the leader has repeatedly attended summons investigations." He continued, "If the prosecution fails to prove the charges against Lee, this will inevitably be defined as clear political prosecution and oppression of the opposition, and we clearly warn that the prosecution must bear full responsibility for this."
However, the party took a reserved stance on how to respond if the arrest consent bill is submitted to the National Assembly. Until now, the party has agreed to all arrest consent bills without exception and holds the party stance that immunity from arrest should be waived, but whether to vote on the arrest consent bill as a party stance requires further discussion.
Spokesperson Kim said, "The Justice Party has consistently maintained the position that all citizens of the Republic of Korea should be equal before the law and that immunity from arrest should be waived," adding, "We declare that we will closely monitor and respond to the current situation based on the party stance." However, regarding the party vote on the arrest consent bill, he said, "The arrest consent bill has not even been submitted yet, and the Democratic Party has not decided on a party stance," adding, "We will conduct internal discussions."
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