LAWMAKERS VOTE ON ARREST MOTION FOR LEE

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The national assembly voted on an arrest consent motion for main opposition Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung on Monday, for the first time in the nation's constitutional history. The DP appeared confident that the motion will be voted down, while the ruling People Power Party pressured the opposition bloc to make the right decision, saying that the fate of the DP will be decided Monday.

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The National Assembly, for the first time in the nation's constitutional history, voted on an arrest consent motion for Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung on Monday. This comes after an arrest warrant was requested for him over bribery allegations related to the Daejang-dong development project and Seongnam FC. While making last-minute efforts to ensure that no party lawmakers vote against Lee, the DP appears confident that the motion will be voted down. The main opposition branded the Yoon administration as a neo-dictatorship, more vicious than military dictators in the past. It also called Lee's arrest warrant a judicial killing, which politicians used to remove their strong rivals, like Kim Dae-jung and Cho Bong-am, in the past.

[Soundbite] Cho Jeong-sik(Secretary General, Democratic Party) : "We stand against the brutality and judicial hunting by the prosecutor-dominated dictatorship and vote down the prosecution’s politically-motivated arrant by an overwhelming margin."

The People Power Party said the charges against Lee were well-proven so there was no need for it to set a party direction on the vote. It added that all of its lawmakers agreed to vote in favor of the motion. The ruling party pressured the opposition bloc, warning that the DP will end in danger if the motion is voted down. The PPP also said those turning a blind eye to injustice will be recorded in history.

[Soundbite] Jang Dong-hyeok(Floor spokesperson, PPP) : "The Democratic Party should not commit an enormous mistake that will bury itself in history."

Prior to voting by lawmakers, Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon reported charges against Lee to the National Assembly. But the DP leader denied all the allegations, criticizing prosecutors for abusing their authority. The vote on the arrest consent motion was done through a secret ballot. The motion is passed with a majority vote in favor and when a majority of registered lawmakers attend the session. In this case, the court will hold a warrant review hearing to decide on whether to arrest the DP chair. If the motion is voted down, the arrest warrant cannot be executed. As the DP holds 169 seats in parliament, it is likely that the motion will be voted down. But attention is being drawn to how narrow the margin will be. If some DP lawmakers vote against Lee and the motion is voted down by a close margin, the main opposition leader will inevitably face a political blow even if he dodges arrest. When an arrest consent motion against the DP's Noh Woong-rae was put to vote last December, Han gave a detailed explanation of the charges against him. Eyes will be on what the minister says this time and how the DP will react.