Choo Kyungho Arrest Motion Passed by Ruling Party-Led National Assembly... Opposition Denounces "Political Maneuvering on Insurrection Charges" (Comprehensive)

People Power Party Holds Protest After Leaving Plenary Chamber
Decision on Choo's Detention Expected Early Next Month

The National Assembly passed the motion to arrest Choo Kyungho, a member of the People Power Party, who is accused of obstructing the vote to lift the 12·3 Martial Law, during its plenary session on November 27.

In the plenary session held that day, the National Assembly approved the motion to arrest Assemblyman Choo with 172 votes in favor, 4 against, 2 abstentions, and 2 invalid votes. The People Power Party members exited the chamber after Choo's personal statement and did not participate in the vote.

Yonhap News Agency

The Special Prosecutor for Insurrection (Special Prosecutor Cho Eunseok) requested an arrest warrant for Choo on November 3 on charges of participating in key insurrection-related duties. The special prosecutor alleges that on December 3 of last year, when former President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, Choo, who was then the floor leader of the People Power Party, communicated with Yoon and repeatedly changed the location of the party caucus, thereby obstructing People Power Party lawmakers from participating in the vote to lift martial law. Choo maintains that he was not informed of the martial law in advance and that the changes in caucus location were unavoidable due to restricted access to the National Assembly at the time.

In his personal statement that day, Choo asserted, "On the day of martial law, I never encouraged or induced any party lawmaker to abstain from the vote to lift martial law," adding, "All the special prosecutor has left is a confession that this was a 'fabricated investigation' with political intent, constructing a crime based on a predetermined conclusion."

He continued, "The request for my arrest warrant is a political scheme to brand the People Power Party as an unconstitutional party and force its dissolution," urging, "The government and ruling party must, before it is too late, abandon their hostility of destroying and retaliating against the opposition, restore parliamentary democracy based on dialogue, compromise, checks and balances, and focus on protecting the livelihoods of the people."

Yonhap News Agency

Immediately after leaving the plenary chamber, the People Power Party held a protest rally in the Rotunda Hall. People Power Party leader Jang Donghyuk stated, "What we saw in the plenary chamber today was not a temple of public opinion, but a people's tribunal," and insisted, "In the end, the Lee Jaemyung administration and the Democratic Party have brought an end to parliamentary democracy." Floor leader Song Eonseok also criticized, "Special Prosecutor Cho Eunseok, who is oppressing the opposition with a fabricated investigation and a baseless warrant, and the Democratic Party lawmakers who went along and voted for the arrest warrant, will all be judged by history."

Whether Choo will be detained is expected to be determined by the court's substantive review of the arrest warrant (pretrial detention hearing). In political circles, it is believed that the hearing will be held on December 2, with the decision on detention likely to be made in the early hours of December 3.