President Yoon approves arrest motion for DP chief Lee
Published: 19 Sep. 2023, 16:47
- SARAH KIM
- kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr
This comes as the DP is pushing for a motion to dismiss Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to take responsibility for the Yoon administration's alleged mishandling of the probe into a young marine's death in a flood last July.
Lee, a lawmaker representing Incheon's Gyeyang-B district, is accused of breach of trust, bribery, abetting perjury and other charges related to the Baekhyeon-dong land development project in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, and his alleged involvement in underwear company Ssangbangwool's alleged illegal cash remittance to North Korea.
Prosecutors requested an arrest warrant for Lee on Monday after the DP chief was hospitalized earlier in the day due to deteriorating health 19 days into his hunger strike protesting the Yoon administration. Lee nonetheless vowed at the hospital to continue his hunger strike, which he began on Aug. 31.
The prosecution's arrest warrant request was sent to the Seoul Central District Court, which was then delivered to the government.
Yoon signed off on the request during his trip to New York this week to attend the UN General Assembly.
The Justice Ministry later on Tuesday reported the motion to request Lee's arrest to the National Assembly, with a vote expected to take place on Thursday, at the same time as the motion to dismiss Prime Minister Han.
The National Assembly Act stipulates that after an arrest motion is submitted, it must be reported to the first plenary session and put to vote within 72 hours.
Parliamentary consent is necessary to arrest Lee because lawmakers have immunity from arrest while the National Assembly is in session.
Both arrest and dismissal motions require consent from a majority of lawmakers present to pass. The DP holds a parliamentary majority with 167 seats in the National Assembly.
On Monday, the DP submitted a motion to the National Assembly calling for the dismissal of Prime Minister Han and an independent counsel to probe the case of the marine's death.
The move comes as the DP's attempts to impeach Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup for allegedly mishandling a military investigation into Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Chae Su-geun's death were thwarted after Lee tendered his resignation last week.
Last Wednesday, Yoon appointed Rep. Shin Won-sik, a lawmaker of the People Power Party (PPP) and a retired Army lieutenant general, as new defense minister to replace Lee in the midst of a Cabinet reshuffle also replacing his culture and gender equality ministers.
Defense chief Lee made the decision to resign to prevent a "security vacuum" in case he was impeached, but the DP in turn accused him of avoiding accountability for Chae's death. Yoon's office said that Lee's replacement came regardless of the DP's move to impeach him.
Chae, 21, died after being swept away in a stream in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang, during a search for victims of monsoon flooding on July 19, sparking criticism that the military's rescue operation ignored proper safety measures. The DP accused Lee of unfairly interfering with an initial probe into Chae's death and preventing the investigation from being transferred to the police.
It is unlikely that Yoon will approve a dismissal motion for Han, however.
Han, who served as a prime minister in the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration, has been a rare communication channel between the DP and Yoon government.
Han is a native of Jeonju, North Jeolla, a liberal stronghold, and has reportedly invited DP lawmakers to his official resident or restaurants for private meals at least once a month to maintain dialogue between the Yoon administration and the DP. Thus, officials from the prime minister's office have expressed frustration at the dismissal motion, as Han has made efforts to be available to such meetings with DP lawmakers and leadership.
The DP previously moved along motions to dismiss Foreign Minister Park Jin in September 2022 and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min last December, but Yoon did not approve them. The DP later passed an impeachment motion against Minister Lee in the National Assembly February over his alleged mishandling of the Itaewon tragedy in October 2022, which killed 159 people. Minister Lee was reinstated in July after the Constitutional Court rejected the National Assembly's impeachment.
The PPP in turn accused DP chief Lee of going on a hunger strike to make himself "bulletproof" by appealing to public sympathy to avoid an arrest warrant.
Rep. Yun Jae-ok, PPP floor leader, said in a party meeting Tuesday, "While it is a sad situation that Chairman Lee Jae-myung said he will continue his fast even from his hospital bed, the judicial process should not be swayed by the scale of emotions."
He pointed out that the DP was trying to ramp up "sentiment that a hospitalized party leader cannot be sent to jail."
In February, the prosecution requested an arrest warrant for Lee in connection to another land development scandal in Daejang-dong and Wirye in Seongnam, as well as over the alleged illegal corporate sponsorships of Seongnam's football team, but the National Assembly rejected the warrant motion.
Lee in the past said he would waive his parliamentary immunity, but the DP has been saying that the leader is currently hospitalized due to his ongoing hunger strike and could reject the arrest motion.
Later Tuesday, former President Moon Jae-in paid a visit to DP Chairman Lee at the hospital and urged him to end his hunger strike, according to DP lawmakers.
This marks the first time Moon, who retired to Pyeongsan Village in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang, after he left office in May 2022, has visited Seoul for an official schedule. Moon was set to take part in a ceremony commemorating the inter-Korean summit agreement signed in Pyongyang on Sept. 19, 2018.
BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)