'Bribery Allegations' Democratic Party's Shin Young-dae Arrest Motion Rejected... 93 Votes in Favor, 197 Against

It Appears That Defection Votes Occurred Within the Ruling Party

The motion to consent to the arrest of Shin Young-dae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was subject to an arrest warrant request on charges of bribery and manipulation of public opinion in the primary election for the general election, was rejected in the National Assembly.

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Shin Young-dae is making a personal statement regarding the submission of the arrest consent motion at the National Assembly plenary session on the 28th. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 28th, the National Assembly held a plenary session and voted on the motion to consent to the arrest of Representative Shin. Out of 295 members present, 93 voted in favor, 197 against, and 5 abstained, resulting in the motion being rejected. The approval requirement was a majority of the members present. Even when combining the votes in favor and abstentions, the total did not reach the 108 seats held by the People Power Party, indicating that there were defections from the ruling party.

Before the vote, Representative Shin stated, "I certainly did not receive any money. The prosecution has failed to present any physical evidence, and the only evidence is the testimony of the representative of Gunsan Citizen Development Corporation who claims to have given me money," adding, "Even that testimony lacks credibility." He also explained, "It is absurd that the reason for requesting the arrest warrant is the risk of evidence tampering," and said, "I submitted both of my mobile phones to the prosecution and immediately unlocked the passwords."

The People Power Party, the Democratic Party, and the Innovation Party did not set a party line regarding the vote on the motion to consent to the arrest of Representative Shin. However, the ruling party was in favor of passing the motion. On the same day, Choo Kyung-ho, floor leader of the People Power Party, said at the Supreme Council meeting, "Representative Shin keeps repeating that the prosecution's actions are political persecution while failing to prove his innocence," and added, "If the conscience of the Democratic Party is alive, they should approve the motion to consent to the arrest."

On the other hand, the Democratic Party appeared to have reached a consensus to reject the motion to consent to the arrest of Representative Shin. After the party meeting, Representative Noh Jong-myeon told reporters, "There was a personal statement from Representative Shin at the meeting," and said, "We shared the awareness that the prosecution's investigation targeting opposition party members is excessive."

Representative Shin is accused of receiving approximately 100 million won in bribes from Seo, the representative of Gunsan Citizen Development Corporation, to resolve complaints related to a solar power project. He is also suspected of manipulating public opinion using multiple mobile phones during the 22nd general election primary in his constituency. The Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office Joint Investigation Team on National Financial Crimes requested an arrest warrant for Representative Shin on the 31st of last month. Due to the rejection of the motion to consent to the arrest, Representative Shin will stand trial while not in custody.