DP CHAIR AGAIN CONDEMNS WARRANT REQUEST

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A day before the parliamentary consent to arrest him is submitted to the plenary parliamentary session, DP chairman Lee Jae-myung held a press conference today and slammed the prosecution saying that the arrest warrant request is wrong. Meanwhile, the People Power Party again took issues with the DP chief's remarks that likened prosecutors and the president to gangs and aid he lost all sense of decency.

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Democratic Party Chair Lee Jae-myung held a press conference a day before the parliamentary consent to arrest him is submitted to the plenary parliamentary session. He insisted the arrest warrant requested by prosecutors only contains testimonies from those involved in the Daejang-dong development project and fails to name him as a culprit. The main opposition leader went on to say that now is the era of violence in which judicial hunting has become commonplace under the disguise of the rule of law.

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(Chair, Democratic Party) : "They are focusing on removing political rivals and making political conditions advantageous for them with an election coming up."

The DP appears confident that the arrest consent motion will be voted down, as party lawmakers out of Lee's faction also agreed to oppose it at a recent general meeting. However, there is an internal group that reportedly demands Lee's decision on his political future in return for their agreement to vote down the arrest consent motion.

[Soundbite] Cho Eung-cheon(Democratic Party(MBC Radio)) : "They say that they will cooperate to vote the motion down, and instead, DP chair should make a decision. (Does the decision means a resignation from the party chairmanship?) Yes."

The People Power Party again took issues with the DP chief's remarks that likened prosecutors and the president to gangs on Wednesday. The ruling bloc said Lee lost all sense of decency, as he is held at bay. The PPP urged him to look back at himself and his misdeeds before cursing.

[Soundbite] Joo Ho-young(Floor Leader, People Power Party) : "As shown in his insulting expressions, those who are overwhelmed by fear tend to use strong words and raise their voice."

The ruling party also said there would be no reason for Lee to seek to vote down the motion if his claim is true that the arrest warrant is a political plot to oppress the opposition bloc. The PPP said the DP's decision to protect Lee will also leave a stain on the nation's constitutional history.