A request for consent to arrest (arrest motion) regarding Choo Kyung-ho, former floor leader of the People Power Party, who is suspected of obstructing the National Assembly's lifting of martial law during the December 3 Martial Law last year, has been submitted to the National Assembly.
People Power Party lawmaker Choo Kyung-ho is attending a party meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 4th, listening to remarks by CEO Jang Dong-hyuk. Photo by Yonhap News
The Ministry of Justice announced on the 5th that, following presidential approval, it had submitted the arrest motion for the former floor leader Choo to the National Assembly.
Since Choo is currently a sitting lawmaker, the arrest motion must be approved by a plenary session of the National Assembly before a pretrial detention hearing (warrant review) can be held by the court.
After receiving the request, the Speaker of the National Assembly must report it at the first plenary session convened, and then hold a vote between 24 and 72 hours after the report.
Currently, as the Democratic Party of Korea holds a majority of seats in the National Assembly, many analysts believe the motion is likely to pass. Choo previously expressed his intention to forgo his parliamentary immunity from arrest.
The arrest motion is approved if more than half of all lawmakers are present and more than half of those present vote in favor. If passed, a date for the warrant review is set; if rejected, the court dismisses the warrant without a hearing.
Previously, the special prosecutor's team on insurrection led by Cho Eun-seok requested an arrest warrant for Choo on charges of engaging in key duties related to insurrection.
Choo is accused of obstructing lawmakers' participation in the vote to lift martial law by repeatedly changing the location of the People Power Party's general assembly at the request of former President Yoon Suk-yeol's aides during the period of martial law.
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