'This means war': main opposition party chief locks horns with prosecutors

Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jae-myung, center, and other Supreme Council members of the party leave the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, Friday. Yonhap

Rival parties clash over prosecution's summons of Lee Jae-myung

By Nam Hyun-woo

The two main rival parties are clashing over the prosecution's summoning of main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung for questioning on allegations over his involvement in a 2015 land development scandal in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

The DPK has called the investigation "political retaliation" against the main opposition party by the ruling People Power Party (PPP), as well as "war." The PPP denounced the statement, saying that Lee should appear before the prosecution and clear his name if he is not guilty.

As the parties butt heads, the regular session of the National Assembly, which began on Thursday, will likely see a confrontation between lawmakers, resulting in a legislative stalemate. For Lee, who became the main opposition party's leader just six months after losing the presidential election in a razor-thin margin against President Yoon Suk-yeol in March, the legal gravity of the land development scandal is still weighing on his prospects for running for president again in five years.

Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung checks a Telegram message sent by his aide during a plenary session of the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. The message reads that the prosecution has ordered him to appear for questioning over the allegation that he spread false information on a land development scandal in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The aide added, "This means war." Joint Press Corps

According to the DPK and the prosecution, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office has ordered Lee to appear at the office by Sept. 6 to answer questions over charges that he spread false information regarding the land development project.

The office is investigating an allegation that Lee made a false statement during a news interview, claiming not to know a key official related to the land development project.

The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office's Seongnam branch will also join the investigation over a separate allegation that Lee made a false statement claiming to have been threatened by the land ministry over rezoning a site in Baekhyeon-dong, Seongnam, during a National Assembly audit last October.

Lee's summons was first made public, when a media photographer captured an image of Lee reading a Telegram message concerning the matter sent from his aide on Thursday. In the message, the aide wrote, "This means war."

The Seongnam land development scandal is seen as one of the reasons for his defeat in the presidential election, although Lee has said that there is no evidence of him having committed any wrongdoing despite the accusations. Throughout the election campaign period, the current ruling bloc attacked Lee, saying he favored an unknown asset development firm to take charge of the land development project, which resulted in hundreds of billions of won in profit for the company.

Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jae-myung answers reporters' questions after the party's Supreme Council meeting at the Kimdaejung Convention Center in Gwangju, Friday. Yonhap

"After trying to shake whatever they could out of me, (the prosecution) now coming back nitpicking over strange things trying to catch something is not appropriate," Lee told reporters after a Supreme Council meeting in Gwangju, Friday. "The public has entrusted their power (to the Yoon administration), and it should use that to improve the people's livelihoods and overcome the current difficulties."

Lee did not specify whether he will cooperate with the investigation, but said, "For a long time they said they'd mobilize the police and prosecution to hunt me down, and it seems that they have finally managed to find a slight fault in my remarks."

DPK floor leader Rep. Park Hong-keun said during the meeting that the summons "clearly shows the intention of President Yoon, who is a former prosecutor general and whose purpose for the presidency was investigation, not state affairs."

DPK Rep. Jung Chung-rae said that Yoon is equivalent to Chun Doo-hwan, the former dictator of the 1980s who had rival liberal politician Kim Dae-jung arrested. Kim was eventually acquitted and elected president. "The Yoon administration is a very bad one, and Yoon is a very bad president," Jung said. He also tweeted "This means war. Let's fight and win."

Ruling People Power Party floor leader Kweon Seong-dong, center, shakes hands with participants of the party's national council meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Friday. Joint Press Corps

'War against crime'

On the other hand, the ruling PPP is increasing its pressure on the DPK chairman, saying the prosecution is engaging in "a war against crime."

"The prosecution is summoning Lee for allegations on lies, and the crime of covering the truth with lies has yet to be revealed ― this is just the beginning," PPP floor leader Rep. Kweon Seong-dong wrote on Facebook, Friday.

"An aide to Lee described this as war. Yes it is. This is a war against crime and a battle that we should not yield an inch from."

PPP Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon also wrote on Facebook that this is "a war against injustice and a political crime," denouncing Lee, who was elected as a lawmaker in the June 1 by-elections, and claiming he is wearing "layers of bulletproof vests" to protect himself from legal risks.

Under Korean law, a lawmaker who is participating in a National Assembly session can be arrested only when the Assembly agrees, unless they are caught in the act. Even if a lawmaker is arrested in an off-session period, they can be released if the Assembly demands it.

While the rival parties are trading barbs, the president seemed to distance himself from the investigation of Lee.

"As president, the top priorities are the economy and the people's livelihoods, and I also get to know about the criminal case through media reports," Yoon told reporters on his way to work, Friday. "And there is no time for me to read those articles thoroughly."