On the 28th, a motion for the arrest of Shin Young-dae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who is suspected of accepting bribes related to resolving complaints about solar energy projects and manipulating public opinion during the general election, was rejected in the National Assembly.
The National Assembly held a plenary session in the afternoon and proceeded to vote on the arrest motion for Representative Shin Young-dae. Out of 295 lawmakers present, 93 voted in favor, 197 voted against, and 5 abstained, resulting in the motion being rejected.
The arrest motion requires a majority vote from the attending lawmakers to pass. Even if all opposition party members opposed the motion, it means at least 10 votes of opposition or abstention came from the ruling party, People Power Party.
Before the vote, Vice Minister of Justice Kim Seok-woo requested the motion’s approval, stating, “The Constitution states that all citizens are equal, and this applies to arrest warrants as well.”
On the other hand, Representative Shin claimed his innocence in a personal statement, arguing that the prosecution did not present any evidence other than the testimony of a former head of an energy public enterprise in Gunsan, who claimed to have given money. Shin asserted, “I did not receive any money.”
The prosecution had requested an arrest warrant for Shin Young-dae, accusing him of receiving 100 million won worth of valuables from a business entity attempting to resolve complaints related to a solar energy project, and being involved in manipulating public opinion during the district primary of the last general election.