Lee Jae-myung gives up his immunity from arrest

Main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said on Monday that he would give up his immunity from arrest as a lawmaker during an address at the National Assembly. His pledge comes amid criticism against the Democratic Party, which has been labeled a bulletproof party after the DP-led National Assembly voted down several requests for parliamentary consent to potential arrests of DP lawmakers.

During his speech, Lee criticized the prosecution for fueling conflicts and divisions within the Democratic Party by putting Lee Jae-myung back in the photo line and sending a motion for his arrest. Lee declared, "I will not provide them a reason," and boldly stated that if an arrest warrant were to be requested, he would voluntarily appear for a review of the warrant to expose the prosecution's insolence. These remarks were not part of the Democratic Party's pre-distributed speech. A key party official explained, "We decided to announce the waiver of immunity just before the speech." They clarified that the decision was made because the circumstances differed significantly from when the initial motion to arrest Lee was presented to the National Assembly in February. The decision was based on a careful analysis that revealed much of the evidence against Lee had been weakened due to Yoo Dong-gyu's inconsistent statements during trials. Additionally, they calculated that the court was less likely to issue an arrest warrant.

"It's too late," Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, the leader of the ruling People Power Party. "It would be nice to see him walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Please clarify specifically how you will give up immunity from arrest." Rep. Lee Jeong-mi, the leader of the Justice Party, also echoed the sentiment, saying, "It's too late."


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