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Unified Progressive Party lawmaker Lee Seok-ki is taken by car from the National Assembly in Seoul by National Intelligence Service agents to Suwon District Court

It’s extremely troubling to hear news of the recent National Assembly vote approving a resolution for the arrest of Unified Progressive Party (UPP) lawmaker Lee Seok-ki. The whole thing has been a complete mess, tangled up in the details of the case, the procedures, and the response from politicians.

To begin with, an inherent contradiction in the system for seeking resolutions to arrest standing members of parliament, long ignored by our politicians, has once again reared its ugly head. The procedure was meant to result in Lee being arrested ahead of a court review for a warrant - yet everyone is acting as though the National Assembly voted for putting Lee behind bars. This paradox of the National Assembly seeming to pass a verdict of guilt or innocence before the court has had its say has long been seen as a serious problem, but the parliament has ignored this problem. Now, the resolution on Lee’s address has the same fundamental problem.

But it’s the UPP itself that added more fuel to the resolution fire. Many people agree that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) investigation has been riddled with problems. Not only were the charges of “conspiracy to carry out insurrection” highly questionable, but they even forgot to summon the suspect before requesting a preliminary arrest warrant. Still, this does not mean there is no need to investigate Lee.

Yet he has not expressed any willingness to actively cooperate with the investigation or voluntarily appear in court for the warrant review. Instead, he keeps parroting the same claims about an “NIS witch hunt,” all while painting himself into a corner with explanations that make no sense at all. UPP chairperson Lee Jung-hee dealt another blow to the party’s credibility when she said that Lee’s remarks about taking up weapons were “meant as a joke.” Under the circumstances, it was futile to hope for the National Assembly member’s immunity from arrest to provide a way out.

As for the ruling Saenuri Party (NFP), which has gone a step farther than even the NIS in its scare tactics, there’s really not a lot more that can be said. But the Democratic Party (DP) has done a number of things that warrant reflection. We can certainly understand if its members feel that by opposing the resolution, they would risk appearing before the public as a party that sides with North Korea sympathizers. But they really ought to question whether it was their best option to let themselves be dragged into the NIS’s attempt to frighten the public and stage a trial by public opinion. At the very least, close scrutiny of the facts by the National Assembly should have come before any resolution was passed. The DP also needs to give some answers on why it ultimately decided to cooperate with the National Security Law, which it has long sought to abolish.

Now that the resolution has been passed, it’s time for a judicial verdict on Lee’s innocence or guilt based on a strict assessment of the evidence. Instead of wasting time criticizing and resenting the behavior of politicians on both sides, Lee and the others implicated should start showing a willingness to respond with the truth and nothing but the truth. They are gravely mistaken if they think they can exculpate themselves with the kind of story-switching and half-baked explanations they’re handing out now.

And it’s not just about the legal ramifications - given the shock this whole affair has been to the public, it is irresponsible of the UPP not to have made some kind of apology or expression of dismay so far. Even within the party, some have advocated issuing a public apology and forming an internal investigation committee. It is very distressing to see such calls being dismissed as “factionalism.”

Meanwhile, the courts face an even weightier responsibility now. They will need to examine the facts closely from the warrant review stage, as well as the suitability of the charges, and make a careful determination. It is a moment that demands an objective resolve to settle the matter based on the law and evidence - and not to be swayed by any kind of fear-mongering or baseless claims.

Sep. 4. He was held overnight at a police station in Suwon. (National Assembly photo pool)

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