DP DISCUSSES SUMMON OF LEE JAE-MYUNG

[Anchor Lead]

The DP held a meeting on Monday to discuss the summons for the party chairman Lee Jae-myung. Earlier the party leadership called the subpoena "an all-out war" against the DP and demanded that the same standards be applied to First Lady Kim Keon-hee.

[Pkg]

The leadership of the Democratic Party says the subpoena for Lee Jae-myung is an all-out war against the party, an act of political retaliation and oppression of the main opposition bloc. The DP stepped up its response as the summons comes just a day after Lee offered to meet with the president.

[Soundbite]

Cho Jeong-sik(DP secretary-general) : "It's reminiscent of how the CIA kidnapped former pres. Kim Dae-jung. It's the Yoon administration's merciless political retaliation through prosecutors."

The party intensified its attack by saying evidence has been revealed in the trial over stock price manipulation that First Lady Kim Keon-hee personally ordered the purchase of Deutsch Motors' stocks. The DP says Yoon's explanation during his presidential campaign is false, and constitutes a crime of announcing false facts. As such, the main opposition bloc is reporting Yoon to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

[Soundbite] Kim Seung-won(DP Legal Committee) : "The Supreme court is aware that the president's statute of limitations is suspended during his tenure. He may evade an investigation into violating the Public Officials Election Act for now, but it's not going to last this way forever."

With just one day left before he is required to appear for investigation, DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung is mulling his next step. Over the weekend, he received the opinions of party members and those outside of the party. At the Monday meeting he discussed with DP lawmakers whether or not to respond to the summons. The DP leadership is strongly opposed to Lee appearing for investigation. An official close to Lee said his chances of appearing for questioning are 50-50, and he will decide on the matter after hearing the opinions of party members. The PPP is urging Lee to clarify the accusations instead of disparaging a legitimate investigation as political retaliation.