Parties Haggle Over Arresting Lawmakers
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Governing and opposition parties failed to narrow their differences over approving a motion to arrest two opposition lawmakers Friday during the first plenary session of the National Assembly, which convened, Monday.
The prosecution requested permission from the Assembly to arrest Rep. Moon Kook-hyun of the Renewal of Korea Party (ROKP) and Rep. Kim Jae-yun of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) who have refused several summons for questioning over bribe-taking suspicions.
According to law, voting should take place within 72 hours if a motion to grant permission is laid before the Assembly by a lawmaker.
The DP said that it may boycott any vote.
``It is inappropriate to seek arrest warrants for lawmakers who will neither flee nor hide nor destroy evidence,'' DP Chairman Chung Sye-kyun said. ``It is regrettable that the issue of a motion has been raised despite the Assembly speaker's objection.''
Legislators have enjoyed the privilege of exemption from arrest when the Assembly is in session unless they are caught at the scene or have committed a grievous crime.
DP Rep. Park Joo-sun submitted a proposal that the Legislation and Judiciary Committee report on whether the prosecution's request has sufficient grounds to be placed as a formal motion to the speaker within 15 days.
The governing Grand National Party (GNP) has backed proposing the motion, with floor leader Hong Joon-pyo saying that it was a universal principle that anybody who commits a crime should be arrested.
The party may seek to propose the motion and hold a vote unilaterally if the opposition continues to object, despite the fact that speaker Kim Hyong-o ― a GNP lawmaker ― made it clear Thursday that he opposed the arrests.
``The Assembly is in session and it is inappropriate for prosecutors to seek the detention of the lawmakers,'' Kim said. ``They should pay extra attention when they seek detention as it could undermine the two's human rights.''
Moon is being investigated for allegedly receiving cash from Lee Han-jung before the April 9 general elections in return for picking her as a proportional representation lawmaker.
Kim is suspected of being given 300 million won for helping a foreign profit-seeking hospital get a permit to establish a medical facility on Jeju Island.
Both have denied the allegations.
So far, the Assembly has approved eight motions to arrest lawmakers while rejecting 28 over the last 13 years.
Meanwhile, a bipartisan agreement was reached for the Assembly to begin a three-week inspection of the government, Oct. 6, and of administration agencies from Nov. 3-7.
A plenary session will be held Dec. 1-2 to vote on the government's proposed budget for 2009 and other pending issues.
The Assembly also endorsed the nomination of Kim Hwang-sik as chief of the Board of Audit and Inspection, and Yang Chang-soo as a Supreme Court justice.