Did the 'Rejection Guideline' Backfire... What Does the '+1 Vote' Approval of Lee's Arrest Proposal Mean?

Lee Arrest Bill Passed in National Assembly
First Vote 'Invalid and Abstention' Seemingly Shifted to Support
About 30 Democratic Party Defectors Made Strategic Choice

The arrest motion against Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was passed in the plenary session of the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 21st, which is expected to intensify internal conflicts within the Democratic Party. This came after Lee had effectively issued a 'rejection directive' regarding his arrest motion the previous day, and despite party leadership, including floor leader Park Kwang-on, attempting to enforce vote discipline, the motion passed the National Assembly by exceeding the required number of votes by one.

Lee's arrest motion was approved in a secret ballot with 149 votes in favor, 136 against, 6 abstentions, and 4 invalid votes. Out of 298 total members, 295 participated in the vote, and the number of affirmative votes exceeded the required quorum of 148. Compared to the first vote on Lee's arrest motion in June, the number of votes in favor increased by 10, while votes against decreased by 3. It appears that members who abstained (9 votes) or cast invalid votes (11 votes) in the first vote switched to supporting the motion this time.

Ko Min-jung, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea, and others showed a somber expression on the 21st at the National Assembly plenary session as the arrest motion for Representative Lee Jae-myung was passed. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Earlier, within the Democratic Party, there was a prevailing expectation that the arrest motion would be rejected due to growing sympathy as Lee was hospitalized following a prolonged hunger strike. At the Democratic Party's parliamentary meeting held the day before, strong voices condemning the prosecution's unfair investigation and calling for rejection were reported.

However, Lee, who continues his hunger strike in the hospital bed, publicly requested rejection of the motion through his Facebook, stating, "The clear approval of this illegal and unjust arrest motion will give wings to the political prosecution's fabricated investigation," which is analyzed to have backfired. Lee had promised to waive his parliamentary immunity during his party negotiation group leader speech in the National Assembly in June but reversed this stance three months later, leading Democratic Party members who had effectively boycotted the first vote by abstaining or casting invalid votes to switch to supporting the motion.

Yoo In-tae, former Secretary-General of the National Assembly and senior advisor to the Democratic Party, said on a radio broadcast that day, "(Lee Jae-myung's) post on SNS yesterday seems to have caused a backlash greater than expected," adding, "Didn't everyone believe in the sincerity of his waiver of immunity?" and "So naturally, when he started his hunger strike, it was expected that he would appeal for the approval of the arrest motion."

Lee's staunch supporters' threat of retaliation against so-called 'Democratic Party defectors' also appears to have played a role in solidifying the approval votes for the arrest motion. Within the Democratic Party, rumors of Lee's 'prison nomination' circulated ahead of the vote, and with Lee's 'rejection directive' issued, the non-mainstream faction members made a decisive choice. With the general election for the National Assembly approaching next year, and criticism of the party as a 'bulletproof party' inevitable if the motion were rejected, there also seems to be a psychological motive to clear Lee's judicial risks through the approval of the arrest motion.

In fact, the non-mainstream faction made a strategic choice that day. The motion to dismiss Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and the impeachment motion against prosecutor Andong-wan, who was found guilty of abuse of prosecution authority, were overwhelmingly passed with 175 and 180 votes respectively. While showing a check against the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's unilateral governance and the prosecution's all-out investigation of the opposition, they also approved the arrest motion against Lee, thereby avoiding criticism of being a 'bulletproof party.'