Hayoungje Appeals for 'Rejection of Arrest Consent Bill'... Ruling Party Leans Toward 'Approval' (Summary)

Some People Power Party Lawmakers Pledge to 'Waive Immunity from Arrest'
Used as a Pressure Card Against Lee Jae-myung

Ha Young-je, a member of the People Power Party (PPP) who has had an arrest warrant requested against him on charges including violation of the Political Funds Act, appealed to his party members to reject the motion for consent to arrest. However, within the PPP, there is a trend toward effectively adopting the 'waiver of parliamentary immunity' as party policy, including signing pledges to that effect, seemingly putting pressure on Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), who has exercised parliamentary immunity.

According to multiple PPP lawmakers on the 22nd, Ha sent a text message to members the day before saying, "If you show me kindness when the motion for consent to arrest is submitted to the National Assembly, that grace would be as vast as the sea."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Ha also said, "I apologize for causing concern due to this incident," and explained, "The prosecution's claims are greatly exaggerated, and I am actively responding."

However, the party atmosphere is moving toward effectively making the waiver of parliamentary immunity party policy. Jang Dong-hyuk, the PPP floor spokesman, appeared on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' that morning and stated, "We (PPP) consider the waiver of parliamentary immunity to be effectively party policy and will proceed to vote accordingly." This follows the remarks made by Floor Leader Joo Ho-young the previous day at the National Assembly, where he told reporters, "Lawmakers will make autonomous judgments as constitutional institutions, but since we have repeatedly said we would waive parliamentary immunity, I think a decision will be made in that context."

Within the party, voices emphasizing the need to uphold 'principles' are dominant. A first-term PPP lawmaker said, "Since we have decided to relinquish (parliamentary immunity), the principle is that the motion should be passed," adding, "However, because he is a fellow lawmaker, we have not made passing the motion party policy." Another first-term lawmaker said, "We have told the Democratic Party several times to give up parliamentary immunity, so if we now protect our own party, it would be nothing but hypocrisy," and added, "The party could face a backlash."

PPP lawmakers Kim Hyung-dong, Park Jeong-ha, Yoo Ui-dong, Lee Tae-gyu, and Choi Hyung-doo have been sending a public pledge to fellow lawmakers since the 16th, urging them to waive parliamentary immunity. The pledge states, "As a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, I pledge before the people that if a motion for consent to arrest is submitted during the session due to criminal charges against me, I will waive the parliamentary immunity stipulated in Article 44 of the Constitution and request fellow lawmakers to pass the motion through a personal statement in the plenary session." One lawmaker who agreed to the pledge said, "Although it pains me as a colleague, if we are confident as our party has claimed, he should go and undergo investigation," adding, "Voluntarily undergoing investigation would earn more trust from the public than having the motion passed."

On the 2nd, the traffic light in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, was red. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

This is interpreted as a strategy to pressure Lee by taking a different stance from the Democratic Party. Since the prosecution plans to indict Lee without detention over allegations of preferential treatment in the Daejang-dong and Wirye New Town development projects, the PPP can differentiate itself by how it handles Ha's motion for consent to arrest and use it as an offensive tool against the opposition. A senior PPP lawmaker said, "We will show a stance opposite to the Democratic Party," adding, "If we want Lee to give up parliamentary immunity and undergo investigation, we must first demonstrate it through our own actions." Floor spokesman Jang also emphasized, "The public is closely watching how the Democratic Party, which has twice rejected motions for consent to arrest against lawmaker Roh Woong-rae and Lee, will view this case and vote."

Because of this, there is also speculation that the Democratic Party might reject the motion for consent to arrest against Ha. Um Kyung-young, head of the Era Spirit Research Institute, said, "The Democratic Party is in a dilemma where both passing and rejecting are difficult, but they will likely conclude that rejecting is better," adding, "It is better for Roh, Lee, and Ha to all exercise parliamentary immunity and go into a muddy situation. If the motion passes here, it would be tantamount to admitting 'Lee Jae-myung's shield.'"

Ha is accused of receiving 70 million won from a prospective candidate in exchange for helping with the nomination for the Gyeongnam Provincial Councilor election during the June 1 local elections last year. The motion for consent to arrest Ha is expected to be reported to the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 23rd and voted on the 30th.