Laughter Captured on Screen During Approval of Lee Jae-myung's Arrest Motion
Ko Min-jung Explains "Appearance Before Vote... Hope There Is No Confusion"
Democratic Party's Floor Leadership Resigns Over Defection Vote Responsibility
On the 21st, amid political turmoil following the passage of the arrest motion against Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, a photo capturing lawmaker Ko Min-jung of the Democratic Party smiling brightly has drawn heavy criticism from supporters.
On the same day, Ko posted on her Facebook explaining the image of her smiling above the caption "Passage of Lee Jae-myung's arrest motion" on a broadcast screen, stating, "This is my entrance before the plenary session began," and added, "Please do not misunderstand."
This appears to be Ko’s clarification in response to criticism on an online community where the photo was shared with the comment, "Is lawmaker Ko Min-jung in a situation to be smiling? This is right after the vote."
Netizens criticized the photo with comments such as "Didn't you know Ko Min-jung is a 'subak'?" and "It was already confirmed she is a 'subak'." The term 'subak' (watermelon) is a derogatory slang used within the Democratic Party to describe conservative-leaning members, referring to the difference between their outward appearance and inner beliefs.
Some supporters of Lee Jae-myung reacted strongly, saying things like, "She is a monster. There is absolutely no way to smile even a little in that situation," "I am in tears, but she seems fine," and "I really feel betrayed."
Meanwhile, in the afternoon, the arrest motion against Lee was passed in the National Assembly plenary session with 149 votes in favor, 136 against, 6 abstentions, and 4 invalid votes out of 295 members present.
According to this, it is estimated that at least 29 votes defected from the Democratic Party, prompting thousands of Lee’s supporters gathered in front of the National Assembly to strongly protest, shouting "Save him." They attempted to enter the National Assembly grounds but were blocked and moved to various locations in Yeouido to hold simultaneous demonstrations.
Meanwhile, taking responsibility for the defections within the party, floor leader Park Kwang-on and other floor leadership members decided to resign en masse at the Democratic Party’s lawmakers’ meeting. It was reported that pro-Lee and anti-Lee factions clashed strongly during the meeting, with the former demanding the resignation of the floor leadership and the latter calling for the resignation of the party leadership.
The Democratic Party’s Supreme Council stated, "The passage of the vote against Lee is a clear act of betrayal," and added, "The Supreme Council members will promptly stabilize the party and protect Lee until the end."
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