DP CHAIR ARREST MOTION PASSED

DP CHAIR ARREST MOTION PASSED

[Anchor Lead]
Yesterday, the National Assembly approved the arrest of Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung over allegations tied to the Baekhyeon-dong land development Scandal and Ssangbangwool Group's North Korea money transactions. With a narrow two-vote margin, 149 lawmakers voted in favor, marking a ten-vote increase from February's ballot.

[Pkg]
A motion seeking parliament consent for the arrest of main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung has passed in the National Assembly.

[Soundbite]
Kim Jin-pyo (Nat’l Assembly speaker): I declare the motion passed with 149 votes in favor, 136 against, 6 abstentions and 4 invalid votes.

The motion passed with 149 votes in favor out of 295 lawmakers in attendance. It would have been voted down with just two fewer votes. When the result was announced, the ruling People Power Party welcomed it with a thunderous applause. The Democratic Party was noticeably taken aback.

[Soundbite]
Lee So-young (Floor spokesperson, Democratic Party): The outcome is surprising and shocking as party leadership had urged lawmakers several times to vote against the motion.

The PPP said that justice prevailed.

[Soundbite]
Yun Jae-ok (Floor Leader, People Power Party): No one can override public sentiment. The result reflects the public's view.

Ahead of the vote, Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon stressed the need for Lee's arrest calling him the pinnacle of large scale corruption.

[Soundbite]
Han Dong-hoon (Justice Minister): On June 19, Lee made a voluntary vow with the public at this place to give up arrest immunity against political investigations.

On the opposition side, DP lawmaker Park Ju-min took to the stage on behalf of Lee, who is currently hospitalized, and sounded the alarm against prosecutorial power but his pitch was not enough to change the voting outcome.

[Soundbite]
Park Ju-min (Democratic Party): The parliament, as the bastion of democracy, must sound an alarm against the prosecution's dictatorship and distorted judicial activism.

The National Assembly on Thursday also passed four bills aimed at protecting teachers rights. However, as the DP held urgent meetings after the arrest motion was approved, the handling of some 80 bills slated to be processed was delayed. One such bill calls for the disclosure of mugshots taken of suspects of heinous crimes.

LEE'S SUPPORTERS OUTRAGED

[Anchor Lead]
Yesterday, outside the National Assembly, about 4,000 supporters of Lee Jae-myung rallied. Following the arrest motion's approval, some tried entering the National Assembly, causing a closure of entrances and leading to one arrest.

[Pkg]
Some four thousand supporters of DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung gathered in front of the National Assembly ahead of the vote on his arrest consent motion. They strongly urged the parliament to vote down the motion.

[Soundbite]
Seo Eun-suk (Supreme Council member, DP): The arrest consent motion must be voted down. The DP will pull together to fight even harder.

A few moments later, they heard the arrest motion had been passed. Some supporters burst into tears and showed an emotional response. Many called on holding the DP leadership responsible for its failure to prevent party members from voting in favor of the motion.

[Soundbite]
Kim Woo-young (Democratic Party): The floor leaders and the DP leadership have an obligation to explain to us what happened.

Some 30 members of conservative groups who also staged a rally nearby welcomed the outcome of the vote. Some of Lee's supporters clashed with police while attempting to enter the National Assembly. When police troops blocked an entrance of the National Assembly subway station facing the parliament and closed steel shutters some supporters tried lifting the shutters, resulting in the clash. One man in his 50s was detained on the scene for allegedly assaulting police officers and vandalizing a steel shutter. Lee's supporters stayed in the area until late at night to condemn the passage of the arrest motion. A candlelight vigil took place in front of the National Assembly to demand the ouster of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. Participants marched all the way to the People Power Party's headquarters. Also during that time, some 200 of Lee's supporters gathered in front of the Democratic Party's headquarters to protest the party leadership.

DP FLOOR LEADERS RESIGN

[Anchor Lead]
Following the passage of Lee Jae-myung's arrest motion, the Democratic Party's floor leadership resigned en masse including floor leader Park Kwang-on and secretary general Cho Jeong-sik. Floor spokesperson Lee So-young told reporters late Thursday after a party meeting that the leadership offered to step down to take responsibility for the motion's approval that came despite their request for DP lawmakers to vote it down.

MOTION SEEKING PM'S DISMISSAL

[Anchor Lead]
The National Assembly also passed a motion recommending Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's dismissal. This is a first in Korea's constitutional history. Though the Presidential Office remains silent, President Yoon is likely to reject the motion.

[Pkg]
The motion recommending the dismissal of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo passed the National Assembly. The motion was proposed by the Democratic Party. This is the first time in Korean constitutional history that a dismissal recommendation for a prime minister passed parliament. Prime Minister Han is the third cabinet member of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration to be recommended for dismissal. The other two were Foreign Affairs Minister Park Jin and the Interior Minister Lee Sang-min. The Democratic Party said that the prime minister was held accountable in lieu of President Yoon Suk Yeol's poor government administration for the Itaewon tragedy, the Jamboree fiasco, and the release of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.

[Soundbite]
Song Ki-hun (First Vice Floor Leader, Democratic Party): Irresponsible cabinet operations threatened public welfare, democracy and peace. But he is placing blame on the previous gov’t, the opposition and the public.

The People Power Party called it a political attack that counters the prosecution's arrest warrant request for DP leader Lee Jae-myung. The ruling party criticized that this is an unprecedented tragedy and a flaw in the nation's constitutional history brought on by the leader of the majority opposition party in deep legal trouble.

[Soundbite]
Yun Jae-ok (Floor Leader, People Power Party): This is very unfortunate. There is no clear reason to dismiss or impeach the prime minister.

The DP is pressuring President Yoon to accept the dismissal recommendation, but his rejection is likely to prolong the face-off. Even after the parliament voted to recommend his dismissal, Prime Minister Han carried on with his public appearances without stating his opinion. The Office of the President also issued no official statement although it has maintained that the true victims of this ugly political strife is the people.

TIMID POLICE RESPONSE PUNISHED

[Anchor Lead]
Two years ago in Incheon, a violent incident in an apartment led to controversy as police fled the scene. Yesterday, the court convicted these officers for dereliction of duty with a suspended sentence. This verdict, amid calls for stronger police response to major crimes, may shape future police conduct.

[Pkg]
Noise between floors caused one man to launch a stabbing attack against his neighbors. Rather than bringing the attacker under control, the police officers left the scene and stayed outside the door for roughly three minutes. While the police were away, the victimized couple and their daughter got hurt. When the CCTV footage of the incident caused public outrage, the two police officers were tried for dereliction of duty. The court found them guilty of the charges and sentenced each officer to one year in prison with two years of probation. The court said police officers have the duty to protect people's lives but ran away from the crime scene, and forsook their duties. The ruling judge also noted that the officers abandoned the victims and undermined public trust. The victim who was injured during the attack was at the court to witness the sentencing. He wasn't satisfied with the ruling, saying that his wife is still suffering from complications.

[Soundbite]
(Victim's family (VOICE MODIFIED)): I hope the case sets an example for other police officers to fulfill their duties diligently so there would be no other victims.

Police have been recently advocating the use of force at crime scenes. Recently, live rounds were fired on a car during a chase to stop a drunken driver. The latest court ruling that penalized police officers' timid response is likely to spur on changes in police response.

[Soundbite]
Prof. Kwack Dae-gyung (Dongguk University): The court ruled that a police officer could be held criminally liable when not fulfilling his duty, prompting to respond more aggressively.

The two officers who were found guilty were dismissed for not faithfully carrying out their duties.

WARRANT DENIED FOR ACTOR

[Anchor Lead]
The Seoul Central District Court has denied a pretrial detention warrant for actor Yoo Ah-in who is facing charges of habitual illegal drug use. The court on Thursday held a warrant review and dismissed the prosecution's request, citing "insufficient need and justification" to detain the suspect. Judge Yoon Jae-nam said the suspect has acknowledged the charges and that considerable evidence has also been secured. It marks the second warrant rejection for the actor after the first denial in May.

RECORD-HIGH DEATHS IN 2022

[Anchor Lead]
Amidst rapid aging trends, last year saw an unprecedented number of fatalities, surpassing 370,000. A significant factor was the resurgence of COVID-19 early in the year, causing a spike in elderly deaths. COVID-19 has now become the third leading cause of death, trailing only behind cancer and heart disease.

[Pkg]
Early last year, families of the deceased had a hard time finding available crematoriums in the capital region. Many had to postpone funerals. At the time, the average daily number of deaths from COVID-19 surpassed 300.

[Soundbite]
Bereaved family (March 2022 (VOICE MODIFIED)): Funeral halls won't allow the procession as we can't book a crematorium. Our relative died but the body is being kept in a morgue and we have to wait.

According to the Statistics Korea, some 31,000 people died of COVID-19 last year, six times as many as in the year prior. Deaths among people aged 61 and up accounted for over 95%, contributing greatly to overall fatalities among the elderly. COVID-19 as a cause of death rose from 12th in the rankings to the third spot, becoming the third leading cause of death after cancer and heart disease. Pneumonia, which used to be a leading cause of death due to the effects of an aging society, left the top-3 ranks for the first time in five years, giving way to COVID-19. As the number of coronavirus deaths surged, the total number of fatalities rose more than 17%, recording an all-time high. However, Statistics Korea said the COVID-19 mortality rate has peaked and is showing signs of abating.

[Soundbite]
Lim Young-il (Statistics Korea): COVID-19 deaths this year have decreased substantially from last year, meaning there will be fewer total fatalities than in 2022.

Last year, the number of deaths from suicide was down 3.3% on-year, ranking sixth among the leading causes of death, a notch down from the previous years. However, the suicide rate remains double that of the OECD average. Deaths caused by dementia soared by more than 36% in 2022 from the previous year also due to society's aging.

VETERAN'S WIFE BURIED IN KOREA

[Anchor Lead]
73 years after the Korean War, an Australian veteran's wife, who spent a lifetime mourning her fallen husband, has been laid to rest in Busan. Committed to raising awareness about the Korean War in Australia, she left behind a final wish to be buried in South Korea, next to the grave of her husband. For our last story today, we delve deeper into this touching story of love, memory, and shared history.

[Pkg]
Lt. Colonel Charles Green was killed in action during the Korean War at the young age of 30 as an Australian army battalion commander. He was survived by his spouse, Olywn Green, and only daughter, Anthea. Olywn missed her husband for the rest of her life until she passed away in 2019. Her last wish was to be buried side by side with her husband at the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Korea. The Green family finally visited Busan after postponing the burial due to the pandemic. Having their loved one buried in a far-away country is not an easy decision. Yet, the bereaved relatives say it's an honor to be able to make Olywn's last wish come true.

[Soundbite]
Anthea Green (Daughter of late Charles Green)

The participants of the burial ceremony expressed hope that bilateral relations between Korea and Australia will improve further.

[Soundbite]
Brett Hartley (Colonel, UN Command (Australian Defence Force))

The daughter says a final goodbye to her mother, who would have turned 100 on this day. She can finally rest in peace next to her beloved husband.

[Soundbite]
Anthea Green (Daughter of late Charles Green)