Aftermath of the Vote on Lee Jae-myung's Arrest Motion, Controversy Over Hit List
The aftermath of the vote on the arrest motion for Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is shaking the party. Lee's staunch supporters, known as 'Gaeddal (Daughters of Reform),' are sharing lists of lawmakers who are believed to have voted in favor of the motion on social networking services (SNS) and online communities, even sending abusive messages. Lawmakers on the hit list have issued explanations, and amid signs of party division, even pro-Lee (Chinmyeong) faction lawmakers are calling for restraint.
Lee Kyung, a full-time deputy spokesperson for the Democratic Party and a member of the pro-Lee faction, appealed for restraint through his SNS on the 28th, saying, "If a list of 30 to 40 lawmakers like a hit list is created, even lawmakers who supported Lee may turn their backs," urging supporters to exercise self-control.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, Park Hong-geun, floor leader, members of the National Assembly, party committee chairpersons, and party members are shouting slogans at the "Condemnation Rally Against Prosecutorial Dictatorship of the Yoon Seok-yeol Administration" held on the stairs in front of the main building of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 17th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
Deputy Spokesperson Lee, who comes from Lee's campaign and is classified as pro-Lee, addressed supporters saying, "Gaeddal (Daughters of Reform), Yang-a (Sons of Conscience), we need to gather wisdom," adding, "(The hit list) will rather lead to a division that the People Power Party will be pleased about and desire. Lee talks about communication."
Also from the pro-Lee faction, Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Kang-wook said on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the same day, "I can fully understand the feelings of the supporters, and I expected that disappointment from the numbers would naturally be expressed, but it is undesirable for this to lead to the disclosure or confirmation of lists targeting specific individuals," adding, "I also saw some of the lists circulating on SNS yesterday, but from my perspective, many included people whom I wonder, 'Did this person really do that?'"
Park Ji-won, former National Intelligence Service director reinstated with Lee's approval, expressed concern on the YouTube program 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' that "Gaeddal should not engage in factionalism by saying 'who voted for or against,'" warning that creating hit lists could cause party division.
With confirmation that at least 31 Democratic Party lawmakers voted in favor of the arrest motion during the voting process, Gaeddal have been sharing lists of lawmakers and their constituencies via SNS and conducting what amounts to a 'defeat campaign.' They have pressured lawmakers by sending 'text message bombs' and actively sought to identify defectors by checking whether they voted against the arrest motion.
However, this approach risks dividing the party into pro-Lee and anti-Lee factions and provoking anti-Lee lawmakers, potentially increasing the likelihood of the next arrest motion passing, which some see as a political misstep. The political circles expect that an arrest warrant related to Ssangbangwool may be requested as early as next month.
Anti-Lee faction lawmaker Jeon Jae-soo appeared on YTN's 'News & Issue' on the same day, saying, "They are trying to identify those who voted in favor, abstained, or cast invalid votes on SNS, but doing that won't solve the problem," adding, "Lee must be quite shocked, but now is the time when we really need to come together and gather wisdom."
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