South Korean Lawmakers Vote to Lift Opposition Leader’s Immunity to Arrest – The Diplomat

In a shock end result, South Korea’s opposition-controlled parliament on Thursday voted to move a movement submitted by the federal government that permits the potential arrest of the nation’s main opposition determine, Lee Jae-myung, who faces a widening investigation over corruption allegations.

Lawmakers voted 149-136 in favor of lifting Lee’s immunity to arrest, reflecting rising divisions inside the opposition Democratic Occasion over his authorized issues because the nation approaches a basic election.

The vote permits the Seoul Central District Court docket to carry a listening to on a request from prosecutors for an arrest warrant for Lee, who has been the liberal Democratic Occasion’s chairperson since August final 12 months.

It was not instantly clear when the listening to would happen or whether or not the court docket is prone to grant an arrest warrant. Lee was hospitalized Monday throughout a weekslong starvation strike in protest of conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol’s home and overseas insurance policies.

Lee, who beforehand mentioned he was keen to surrender his immunity towards arrest as a result of he was assured about proving his innocence, pleaded with lawmakers to vote towards the movement on Wednesday, saying on Fb that his potential arrest would “connect wings to prosecutors’ manipulated investigation.”

Having fun with this text? Click on right here to subscribe for full entry. Simply $5 a month.

Lee didn’t instantly touch upon the result of the vote.

Many Democratic Occasion lawmakers regarded surprised after Nationwide Meeting Speaker Kim Jin-pyo introduced that the movement had handed. One, Kim Byungkee, referred to as the get together members who voted in favor of the movement “canines.”

“I salute these Democratic Occasion members who colluded with prosecutors to unseat Chairperson Lee and grant impunity to prosecutorial dictatorship,” Kim derisively wrote on Fb.

Tons of of Lee Jae-myung’s supporters rallied outdoors the meeting and the primary workplace of the Democratic Occasion, shouting indignant slogans and waving indicators studying “R.I.P. Democratic Occasion” and “Arrest the lawmakers who supported the movement.”

The Democratic Occasion controls 168 seats within the 298-seat meeting.

Lee, who narrowly misplaced to Yoon within the presidential election in March final 12 months, is being investigated by prosecutors over varied prison allegations. They embrace accusations that he supplied illegal favors to a non-public investor that reaped large income from a doubtful actual property mission within the metropolis of Seongnam, the place he was mayor for a decade till 2018. Prosecutors additionally consider that Lee pressured a neighborhood businessman into sending hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in unlawful funds to North Korea as he tried to arrange a go to to that nation that by no means materialized.

Forward of Thursday’s vote, some reformist members of Lee’s get together, together with Cho Eungcheon, referred to as for him to remain true to his phrases and publicly endorse the movement in search of his personal arrest. They mentioned that will assist rally public help for the Democrats that has been sliding since his presidential election loss and silence suspicions that he was conducting a starvation strike to keep away from arrest.

Lee has tied his starvation strike to a worsening economic system and a broad vary of Yoon’s overseas coverage choices, together with the federal government’s refusal to oppose Japan’s launch of handled wastewater from the broken Fukushima nuclear energy plant into the ocean. Lee has additionally accused Yoon of aggravating tensions with North Korea by increasing army coaching and safety cooperation with the US and Japan.

Underneath regulation, courts can not maintain hearings on requests for arrest warrants for lawmakers throughout Nationwide Meeting periods except the meeting permits them to take action by vote. The Democratic Occasion blocked a earlier try by prosecutors to arrest Lee in February.

Lawmakers additionally handed a movement on Thursday urging Yoon to sack his prime minister, Han Duck-soo, for alleged incompetence and coverage failures.

Having fun with this text? Click on right here to subscribe for full entry. Simply $5 a month.

The dueling motions underscored deepening political bickering forward of the parliamentary elections subsequent April. The vote is seen as a midterm referendum on Yoon’s presidency as he struggles to navigate post-pandemic financial woes and escalating tensions with nuclear-armed North Korea. Yoon could have a tough time getting any of his agenda handed except his Individuals Energy Occasion (PPP) can win a majority within the Nationwide Meeting.

Yoon, who’s at present in New York attending the U.N. Common Meeting, is broadly anticipated to reject the decision to dismiss Han, who has been a simple goal for the opposition.

The Democratic Occasion submitted the movement in search of Han’s ouster on Monday, hours after Yoon’s authorities submitted its movement requesting lawmakers to elevate Lee’s immunity.

Lawmakers voted 175-116 in favor of pushing for Han’s dismissal. The movement, signed by 168 opposition lawmakers, alleged that Han and different Cupboard members induced “disaster for individuals’s lives, democracy and peace on the Korean Peninsula” and “persistently demonstrated incompetence, inaction and irresponsibility.”