Yoon approves request for parliamentary consent to opposition leader’s arrest

• President Yoon Suk Yeol has signed off on a request for parliamentary consent to opposition leader Lee Jae-myung’s arrest, his office said on 21 Feb.
• The president’s endorsement is a procedural step that comes before the justice ministry submits the request for consent to the National Assembly. By law, prosecutors need parliamentary consent to arrest a lawmaker while the assembly is in session.
• Lee, the chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), faces charges of corruption and bribery in connection with development projects and donations to a municipal football club during his time as mayor of Seongnam from 2010-2018.
• Prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for him on 16 Feb, marking the first time in South Korea that the prosecution has sought an arrest warrant for the head of the country’s largest opposition party.
• The National Assembly, where the DP has a majority, is expected to refuse to consent to Lee’s arrest.

External Link : https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20230221000130