Kim Gi-hyeon, “Lee Jae-myung, why not sign a joint pledge to give up your privilege from arrest?”

People Power Party leader Kim Gi-hyeon attends a meeting of the party’s Supreme Council at the National Assembly on the morning of June 26. Yonhap News

On June 26, People Power Party leader Kim Gi-hyeon made a proposal to Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung and said, “Let the two of us meet, immediately, and sign a joint pledge to abandon the privilege of exemption from apprehension.”

Kim made the proposal in a meeting of the party’s Supreme Council at the National Assembly Monday and said, “It’s been a week since Lee said he would give up his privilege from arrest in the National Assembly, and if he avoids my repeated request to give up the privilege, it will be hard for him to escape attacks that he lied.”

Kim highly evaluated the innovative plan to give up the privilege of exemption from apprehension and support the arrest motion initiated by Kim Eun-kyung, chair of the Democratic Party’s innovation committee, and released on June 22. He said, “It was a reasonable proposal in a long time.” However, he further expressed concern that it could end up as an empty promise and said, “If the innovation committee fails to actually abandon the privilege from arrest, which it presented as its first task, then there is no reason for such a committee to exist.”

Kim also said, “All legislators of the Democratic Party including leader Lee Jae-myung and lawmakers Kim Nam-kuk, Youn Kwan-suk, and Lee Sung-man, who only in appearance withdrew from the party, should pledge to give up their privilege from arrest.” He continued and said, “It would be simple to meet (and sign) with just a table between us at the Rotender Hall (a large space under the dome roof of the National Assembly building. The National Assembly plenary chamber and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts conference hall face each other with this space in the center), but if that is difficult, then I can visit the Democratic Party leader’s office.”

Earlier on June 19, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung made a surprise unscripted announcement to give up his privilege from arrest when addressing the National Assembly as a leader of a negotiation group.