Arrest me or stop scheming, DP chief dares prosecutors

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks in front of supporters and the media before entering the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on Thursday for questioning. [NEWS1]

Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung on Thursday threw down the gauntlet to prosecutors by daring them to arrest him before the National Assembly reconvenes next month.

“[Prosecutors] should stop scheming to sow conflict within the [Democratic] Party by requesting an arrest warrant when the National Assembly is in session,” Lee said in his public remarks in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul, where he was summoned to appear before prosecutors.

“The National Assembly won’t reconvene for me,” Lee said. “If [prosecutors] apply for an arrest warrant, I will willingly present myself for review.”

Under existing law, prosecutors need the consent of an absolute majority of legislators to arrest a sitting lawmaker while the National Assembly is in session.

In February, Lee avoided being arrested after lawmakers narrowly voted to reject the arrest motion filed in the legislature against him.

Nonetheless, it was evident that even some within his own party had supported the motion, with 139 votes cast in favor of his arrest compared to 138 votes against, along with nine abstentions and 11 invalid votes.

Some of the invalid votes are suspected to have been intentionally invalidated by DP lawmakers as an expression of discontent with Lee.

For a lawmaker’s arrest motion to pass, more than half of legislators must vote, with at least half of those votes in favor.

As nearly all sitting lawmakers participated in the ballot on Lee’s arrest motion, a minimum of 149 votes was required for its approval.

Although votes in favor of the motion fell short of the 149-vote threshold, they revealed a surprisingly high level of support for the DP leader’s arrest considering the party’s solid 169-seat majority in the 299-member National Assembly, in contrast to the People Power Party’s 115 seats.

Lee had previously been accused of seeking to shield himself from investigation by running for a seat in the National Assembly, where he would gain immunity from arrest, after losing the 2022 presidential election to Yoon Suk Yeol.

Prior to the election, prosecutors began investigations into various allegations of misuse of influence and authority against Lee that stem from his time as Seongnam mayor and Gyeonggi governor, including controversies surrounding the Daejang-dong and Baekhyeon-dong development projects, illicit money transfers to North Korea via an underwear company to facilitate Lee’s visit to North Korea and alleged quid-pro-quo sponsorships of Seongnam’s football club by major companies like Naver and Doosan.

Lee’s bid for the leadership of Korea’s largest political party was also seen by some observers as a move to further shield him from official investigation.

Although Lee initially said he would not invoke his immunity from arrest as a lawmaker if prosecutors sought a warrant against him, he later reversed his stance, accusing the investigation of being politically driven.

Since his arrest motion was rejected, Lee has faced mounting criticism within the DP, particularly from Rep. Lee Sang-min.

Lee Jae-myung’s supporters, who call themselves “daughters of reform,” have focused their ire on those they view as traitors to his cause, including former prime minister and presidential rival Lee Nak-yon and former President Moon Jae-in.

Facing escalating tensions within the party, the DP leader has said he will comply with the investigations.

“As I have done before and as I am doing today, I will respond to questioning by prosecutors, whether they summon me 10 or even 100 times,” Lee said Thursday.

But he also said prosecutors are trying to turn him into “a scapegoat” by conducting investigations into various scandals where he is accused of involvement, adding the probes represented “an attempt by prosecutors to divert attention away from the Yoon Suk Yeol government’s incompetence and policy failures.”

As he doubled down on his claims of innocence, Lee compared himself to democracy activists who resisted Korea’s past authoritarian governments.

“I will fight with integrity against the malevolent Yoon Suk Yeol government, which seeks to undermine democracy,” Lee said. “I am ready to give myself up if my sacrifice can transform widespread fear and helplessness into the courage to resist, bring an end to rule by fear and restore democratic politics.”

Prosecutors’ summons to Lee on Thursday is tied to the Baekhyeon-dong development project, where he lifted regulations on a parcel of land formerly owned by the Korea Food Research Institute while he was serving as Seongnam’s mayor.

The changes, which had been rejected twice before, were enacted after Kim In-seop, a former campaign manager for Lee’s Seongnam mayoral bid, became involved in the development.

Prosecutors allege that Kim lobbied Lee Jae-myung on behalf of a private developer in the project.

The developer, Jeong Ba-ul, told prosecutors that half of the profit from the Baekhyeon-dong project was reserved for two people, including Lee.

Lee has denied the allegation and said he was pressured to relax regulations governing the land by then-President Park Geun-hye and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

BY LEE HO-JEONG, MICHAEL LEE [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]