Pro-Government: "Approval Votes Are Such Acts... Measures Must Be Taken"
Opposition: "Identifying Approval Votes? Dictatorial Act and Audacity"
The arrest consent bill for Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was passed, and with the preliminary hearing scheduled for the 26th, there is a movement among pro-Lee (pro-Lee Jae-myung) faction lawmakers to identify those who voted in favor.
As a result of the vote on the arrest consent bill for Lee, it appears that at least 31 dissenting votes came from within the Democratic Party. Despite Lee posting on Facebook the day before the vote, effectively appealing for its rejection, the arrest consent bill was passed with 149 votes in favor, 136 against, 6 abstentions, and 4 invalid votes.
The pro-Lee faction has mentioned the possibility of disciplinary action against lawmakers who voted in favor.
On the 25th, Seo Eun-sook, a Supreme Council member, said on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "The Democratic Party has already declared at the Supreme Council meeting, the parliamentary caucus, and the Central Committee condemnation rally that the prosecution's request for an arrest warrant is an unjust political oppression, and that voting in favor is a clear violation," adding, "Appropriate measures will be taken against lawmakers who publicly admit to voting in favor."
Seo further stated, "After the vote on the arrest consent bill, the Supreme Council meeting concluded that voting in favor is a clear violation," and "Therefore, appropriate measures must be taken against such violations."
Supreme Council member Seo Young-kyo also emphasized that voting in favor is a violation. She said, "Regarding previous statements and actions harmful to the party, procedures must be established," and "There are party rules and regulations concerning such violations, so the process will proceed accordingly."
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is coming out after completing an investigation related to the 'Ssangbangwool Group's remittance to North Korea' suspicion at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do on the afternoon of the 12th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The anti-Lee (anti-Lee Jae-myung) faction opposed the movement to identify those who voted in favor. Lawmaker Kim Jong-min criticized it as an 'authoritarian act' and inappropriate. On the same day, on BBS Radio, Kim said, "Democracy is simple. Everyone can express their opinions, but forcing one's opinion on others is dictatorship," adding, "Trying to overthrow, eradicate, or drive out those with different opinions is a deviation from democracy and a path to dictatorship."
Kim emphasized, "Our Democratic Party members and leadership can strongly assert their views," but "Suppressing or overthrowing differing opinions is a deviation from democracy and leads to dictatorship. It must never be done."
Lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon also retorted, calling it "brazen hypocrisy." He argued that the party's official stance was to abandon immunity from arrest through the passage of Lee's arrest consent bill, and following this was not a violation.
On the same day, appearing on KBS Radio, Cho said, "There was no such discussion within the party, and the party leader clearly declared the abandonment of immunity from arrest in the June negotiation group leader's speech. It was the first agenda of the Innovation Committee and was ratified at the parliamentary caucus. Therefore, this is the party's official stance," adding, "For the vote in favor to be considered a violation, the party leader would have had to clearly reverse this at the caucus, explain the unavoidable reasons to the public, and gain their understanding, but that did not happen."
He continued, "We kept our promise to the public, broke the shield frame, and took political action to steer our party in the right direction. Calling that a violation is truly brazen hypocrisy," he asserted.
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