Actions speak louder than words

Appearing before the Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Thursday to answer questions about his possible involvement in offering favors for Baekhyeon-dong redevelopment project in Seongnam as the mayor in 2014, Democratic Party (DP) Chair Lee Jae-myung pledged to give up lawmakers’ immunity from being arrested while a legislative session is underway. “If prosecutors submit an arrest warrant for me, I will voluntarily go to the court,” he said. “The DP will not open a provisional session to protect me.”

We welcome Lee’s vow to abandon the privilege of immunity. But the way he behaves still provokes controversy. Shortly before being summoned by the prosecution for the fourth time this year, Lee sent a letter to party members to underscore his innocence and posted a statement on social media to stress that he didn’t take a single penny in return for favors.

A day before appearing before the prosecution’s office, he even posted the image of a poster specifying the time and place of his appearance on Facebook to rally support. Lee’s supporters chanted the slogan of “Political Prosecutors Out!” Lee said he would give up the privilege of immunity, but did pressure the prosecution by rallying supporters around him.

The suspicion over the redevelopment project cannot be cleared by gathering support from allies. An apartment builder took 318.5 billion won ($237.3 million) in profit after the purpose of the land suddenly changed from greenery to residential. Lee attributed it to the demand from former conservative administration that the city change the purpose of the land. But the evidence points to the opposite. The ministry said it had never made such a request to the city government.

Nevertheless, Lee reiterates an intent to “proudly comply” with the investigation without clearly explaining about the opposite evidence. In the past questionings, he only submitted a written statement without answering questions from prosecutors. He most likely did the same Thursday. If he is really innocent, he must refute all allegations against him instead of simply presenting a written statement.

The cunning strategy of the majority party continues to evolve. Just a day before the summoning of its boss, the DP announced a plan to push the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the tragic death of a Marine corporal during a rescue mission after the flood in North Chungcheong and four legislative probes, including into the recent fiasco of the Jamboree in Saemangeum. The simultaneous push for five investigations is unprecedented. Even the DP says it’s unrealistic. That’s why suspicions have arisen over the possibility of the party rolling up its sleeves to safeguard its boss again.