Republic of Korea's main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung lays in a hospital bed in Seoul, ROK, Sept 21, 2023. (PHOTO / YONHAP VIA AP)
The Republic of Korea’s main opposition party is embroiled in turmoil as a court prepares to review an arrest warrant for its leader on Sept 26.
Lee Jae-myung, head of the Democratic Party of Korea (DP), was accused of multiple charges in connection with a real-estate development project and involvement in an unauthorized remittance to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The arrest warrant hearing comes just days after Lee ended a 24-day hunger strike.
In protest against the policies of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s government, Lee began the hunger strike on Aug 31 but ended it on Sept 23 after his medical team warned that continuing to do so would severely hurt his health
In protest against the policies of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s government, Lee began the hunger strike on Aug 31 but ended it on Sept 23 after his medical team warned that continuing to do so would severely hurt his health.
The arrest motion for Lee, was passed on Sept 21 at a plenary session of the National Assembly with a 149-136 vote. It was a surprising result as it indicated that there were a number of dissenting votes from Lee’s party, which holds the most seats with 168 in the 298-member National Assembly.
The court review will be overseen by Chief Judge Yoo Chang-hoon, a judicial veteran with nearly 30 years of experience.
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Lee is expected to temporarily leave the hospital to attend the arrest warrant hearing in person, The Korea Times reported, citing DP insiders.
The arrest warrant hearing will be held at the Seoul Central District Court, with a decision to be announced in the evening on Sept 26 or the morning of Sept 27.
The worst-case scenario for the DP is Lee’s arrest as it will further deepen the disputes between party factions. But some analysts believe that if the arrest warrant is dismissed, Lee may be able to get an opportunity to fight back.
Lee’s lawyers have refuted the claims, and Lee has described the arrest motion as “illegal and unfair”.
ALSO READ: S. Korea opp leader hospitalized, prosecutors seek arrest
At a DP meeting on Sept 25, party Supreme Council member Jung Chung-rae said he was speechless about the DP members who have voted to allow the arrest of Lee, and said those members were fooled by the prosecution and the Yoon administration.
“The charges to arrest an opposition leader, which has never happened in the history of (the ROK’s) constitution, is also ridiculous,” said Jung.
Jung said the party has received over 400,000 petitions, based on unofficial tally, calling for the dismissal of Lee’s arrest warrant.
The DP is expected experience turbulence as it works to rebuild the party’s leadership. Its members holding positions in the National Assembly leadership resigned after the arrest motion was passed.
READ MORE: S. Korea lawmakers vote to pave way for opposition leader's arrest
A by-election for the party’s representative will be held on Sept 26 with four candidates — Kim Min-Seok, Hong Ik-pyo, Woo Won-shik, and Nam In-soon. All of the candidates are seen as pro-Lee.
In a Facebook post, Nam, the only female candidate, said she decided to devote herself to protect the party and Lee against unfair suppression.
The DP members must stand united against the mean behavior of the prosecution’s dictatorship that plans to divide the DP ahead of the general election, said Nam.
Also criticizing the Yoon government over its policies on issues such as Japan’s release of nuclear-contaminated water from Fukushima, Nam said the DP needs to become more competent and stronger in order to win in the general election in 2024.
In a Gallup poll, 46 percent of 1,001 respondents said they support prosecutors’ request for an arrest warrant of Lee, compared with 37 percent of people opposing the move.
