Ahead of Arrest Warrant Vote, Lee Jae-myung Says "Arrest Warrant Without Lee Jae-myung Is Abuse of Power and a Crime"

Holding a Meeting on the 23rd to Criticize Point by Point
Ongoing Concerns Within the Party Over Prolonged Judicial Risks
Attention on Senior Democratic Party Members' 'Warm-up Moves'

[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon and Park Joon-yi] Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, sharply criticized President Yoon Seok-yeol on the 23rd, stating, "Abusing given power not for the people and the nation but for private interests, eliminating political opponents, or strengthening power is a criminal act."

Lee, who is under prosecution investigation over the Daejang-dong scandal, held a press conference on the same day ahead of the parliamentary vote on the arrest warrant consent scheduled for the 27th. He condemned, "We are entering an era of violence where judicial hunting disguised as the rule of law is becoming routine," and added, "Politics has disappeared, and only domination runs rampant; such a barbaric era has come again."

During the press conference, Lee focused on refuting the allegations listed in the prosecution's arrest warrant against him point by point. He raised his voice, saying, "The arrest warrant hardly mentions Lee Jae-myung as the subject; it is an arrest warrant without Lee Jae-myung," and "Looking at such absurd warrant contents, it seems less like a warrant to persuade judges and more like propaganda for public persuasion."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Although Lee repeatedly claims his innocence, concerns about the prolonged ‘judicial risk’ and the resulting political vacuum remain both inside and outside the party. For now, the arrest warrant consent for Lee is expected to be rejected, but the real issue lies ahead. The prosecution is likely to request arrest warrants not only for the Seongnam FC sponsorship and Daejang-dong development favoritism allegations but also for future cases such as lawyer fee payments and North Korea remittances, meaning the ‘time of the National Assembly’ to vote on arrest warrants will likely continue. If this happens, the Democratic Party will have no choice but to bear the fatigue from prolonged judicial risks and the burden of being labeled a ‘bulletproof party’ alone.

A rookie lawmaker from the Bimyeong faction lamented, "Many lawmakers believe that if this continues, our party’s election prospects will be difficult." Kwon No-gap, senior advisor of the Democratic Party and a veteran of the Donggyo-dong faction, also said the day before, "There will be several more arrest warrant consents (for Lee) coming to the National Assembly, but this time we must unite and follow the decision made at the party caucus regarding the arrest warrant consent," adding, "Next time, I hope he faces it with dignity and confidence, showing a responsible attitude of putting the party before personal interests as a representative of the Democratic Party’s historic tradition."

Meanwhile, senior Democratic Party figures at the presidential candidate level have begun ‘warming-up activities.’ Former party leader Lee Nak-yeon, currently in the U.S., started a lecture at George Washington University in Washington D.C. on the 21st (local time) and plans to continue lectures targeting universities and Korean-American organizations in Philadelphia, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, and Denver until April this year. However, he dismissed early return rumors by stating he will return in June.

Former Minister of SMEs and Startups Park Young-sun, who refrained from running for Seoul mayor in the June 1 local elections and kept distance from politics, has been making outspoken remarks as a regular guest on domestic radio programs. On the 20th, she advised Lee, saying, "That (relinquishing the nomination rights) is exactly the clever move and the masterstroke that Lee can make." The attention on the activities of senior members staying abroad reflects the anxiety that the current Democratic Party leadership system’s sustainability cannot be guaranteed.