Jo Eungcheon "Certification Relay, Stepping on the Cross"
Kim Hangyu "Certification Relay is the Weapon of Voters"
President Yoon Suk-yeol approved the arrest consent request for Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 19th, making it possible for the vote on the arrest consent bill to take place as early as the 21st. While opinions are divided among opposition party factions on whether to reject or approve the arrest consent bill, the so-called 'Gaeddal (Daughters of Reform),' the party's hardline supporters, are conducting a certification relay for the rejection of the arrest consent bill targeting lawmakers, further narrowing the space for the non-Myung faction.
Non-Myung faction lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon of the Democratic Party criticized the 'rejection certification relay' taking place among opposition supporters on YTN's "News King Park Ji-hoon" program, saying, "This is truly like treading on the cross."
Treading on the cross refers to the medieval Japanese practice of forcing Christians to step on a cross to identify them, symbolizing the suppression of freedom of conscience. Cho argued that the certification relay, where hardline supporters extract 'promises to vote for rejection' from lawmakers in online communities, is no different from treading on the cross. He said, "Hardline supporters will continue to apply pressure, and lawmakers responding to the certification are steadily emerging. Honestly, that (promise to vote for rejection) is a voluntary forfeiture of constitutional rights."
On the other hand, Kim Han-gyu, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, said, "There are party members who deeply care about Leader Lee in every region. It seems they are sending text messages to their respective constituency lawmakers." He added, "This is not just this time; whenever there is a vote, party members and supporters take such actions, and it is a weapon of voters who want their representatives to vote according to their will." He evaluated this positively.
The pressure from hardline supporters is not limited to the 'certification relay.' Democratic Party candidates for the Gwangju and Jeonnam general elections issued a statement the day before at the Gwangju 5·18 Democracy Square, calling for the Democratic Party lawmakers to adopt the rejection of the arrest consent bill for Leader Lee Jae-myung as the party's official stance.
With sympathy for Leader Lee's hunger strike combined with pressure from hardline supporters, the possibility of the arrest consent bill being rejected is increasing. There are reports that the party atmosphere is also leaning toward rejection. Democratic Party lawmaker Min Hyung-bae said on CBS's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show," "They say it will happen today or tomorrow, but I believe it will be rejected." He added, "There has been a lot of talk about rejection, and we briefly discussed it yesterday as well. The talk about rejection is widespread, and it has become a situation where it must be rejected."
Approving the arrest consent bill could instead legitimize the prosecution's actions. He said, "At first, as you mentioned, there was a strong current toward approval, but after seeing what they have been doing recently, I have reconsidered." He added, "In my view, the justification for rejection has grown so strong that even those who might have thought 'we shouldn't reject this, we should approve it' would find it difficult to hold that view now."
Within the People Power Party, there is speculation that on the day of the vote, the Democratic Party might boycott the vote to pressure for rejection. On MBC's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus," People Power Party lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung said, "I think (boycotting the vote) is possible. That would apply stronger pressure." He added, "If they attend the vote, it will likely be approved, but if they boycott, the approval and rejection votes will be about even."
Ha said, "Those who participate in the vote might prefer not to be identified," adding, "(If they participate in the vote) it will just be 100% approval. Isn't it anonymous?"
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