Liberal DP, conservative PPP sharply divided on President Yoon's arrest

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Liberal DP, conservative PPP sharply divided on President Yoon's arrest

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung watches news of President Yoon Suk Yeol's arrest by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials while attending an emergency general meeting of lawmakers held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 15. [NEWS1]

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung watches news of President Yoon Suk Yeol's arrest by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials while attending an emergency general meeting of lawmakers held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 15. [NEWS1]

 
The liberal Democratic Party (DP) hailed the arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) Wednesday as “the first step toward restoring constitutional order, democracy and the rule of law” while the conservative People Power Party (PPP) accused the CIO of being the DP’s “hired help” and called the arrest a “political circus.”
 
“Although the arrest comes very late, 44 days after the Dec. 3 martial law insurrection and 33 days after the impeachment motion was passed, it is truly fortunate to have confirmed that public power and justice remain alive in Korea,” said DP floor leader Park Chan-dae at a general meeting of party lawmakers at the National Assembly on Wednesday. “Yoon, as a president who should protect the Constitution and the law, not only declared martial law in violation of both, but also obstructed the enforcement of the law by public power with force, turning Korea into a lawless land.
 
“The CIO should investigate Yoon to reveal the whole story of the martial law and hold him strictly accountable,” Park said. “That is how to fully restore the constitutional order and normalize the country."
 
Park said Yoon could not avoid arrest and dismissal from his position or the special investigation into his alleged insurrection. “If one commits a crime, it is common sense, fairness and the rule of law for that person to be investigated and punished," he said.
 

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Park added that the martial law declaration was a “shocking scene that the entire nation had to watch” and that “Yoon’s actions were clearly illegal and unconstitutional.”
  
He also criticized the dozens of PPP lawmakers who gathered in front of the Hannam-dong presidential residence Wednesday morning to block Yoon's arrest for "obstructing the enforcement of the law," calling their behavior "pathetic and miserable."
 
“Those who ignore the law to protect insurgents and help create a lawless land are not qualified to be members of the National Assembly representing the people,” Park said.
 
Meeting with reporters at the National Assembly on Wednesday, DP senior spokesperson Jo Seung-lae said, “We have set right the constitutional principles that rebels have destroyed.” He added, “I hope today will be an opportunity to overcome the insurrection crisis and that Korea will make a new start.”
 
Contrastingly, the PPP said after Yoon’s arrest that it would “hold the CIO politically and legally accountable for its illegal actions” and that the CIO had become “hired help” of the DP.
 
PPP senior spokesperson Shin Dong-wook released a commentary saying “the people will hold the CIO strictly responsible for its actions” and that it had “executed the arrest warrant not for investigative purposes but as part of a political circus.”
 
“The CIO’s attitude of trying to force a physical clash with the Presidential Security Service was nothing more than a political performance against the people rather than normal law enforcement,” Shin said. "The CIO, which has lost its political neutrality, has already lost its reason for being.
 
“The CIO has no authority to investigate insurrection, and entering the presidential residence, which is a military protection facility, without permission from the head of the security service is clearly illegal,” continued Shin. “The CIO is falsely claiming that they received permission to enter the residence, and there are also suspicions that they forged official documents.
 
“This is an act that seriously undermines the rule of law,” Shin said. “It will inevitably have a fundamental impact on the future existence of the CIO.”
 
Kwon Young-se, interim leader of the PPP, said at a general meeting of lawmakers held at the National Assembly that "the president made a big decision to allow the execution of an illegal arrest warrant to prevent an ugly situation.” He added, “The illegality is not justified just because the president was arrested.”
 
"The arrest of the president is a tragic trifecta created by the CIO, which has no investigative authority, the Seoul Western District Court, which issued an arrest warrant with many illegal elements, and the police, who are in collusion with the DP," Kwon said. “We will hold them accountable to the end for executing the illegal warrant.
 
"The national prestige of Korea has fallen to rock bottom due to the CIO and the police’s vain sense of honor, and the people’s patience has reached a critical point,” Kwon said. “The reason they insisted on the arrest was to embarrass the president. Rather than uncovering the truth, they are trying to elevate their presence by arresting the incumbent president.”
 
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik also made a statement regarding Yoons' arrest, saying, "Now that the chaotic situation has come to an end, we must focus our efforts on stabilizing state affairs and restoring people’s livelihoods."
 
 
"Fortunately, the law was enforced without the clashes we worried about, but we must refrain from words and actions that incite unnecessary conflict and confusion," Woo said. "The National Assembly will do its best to reduce domestic and international uncertainty through active parliamentary diplomacy and promptly launch the State Affairs Council to stabilize people’s livelihoods. We will also swiftly process the special counsel bill currently under discussion between the ruling and opposition parties."
 
The DP’s leadership meanwhile canceled all scheduled events for Wednesday, including the public supreme council meeting and a conference on government emergency action to address livelihood problems, and continued with closed-door meetings to monitor the process of the arrest warrant against Yoon.
 
Lawmakers were on standby at the National Assembly as of noon Wednesday after each party held general meetings in the morning.
 
 

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]
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