South Korea: Opposition lawmakers boycott Yoon Suk-yeol's speech to parliament

Lawmakers of South Korea’s opposition party staged a boycott of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s speech to parliament over the budget. The boycott by the opposition lawmakers was in protest of an ongoing investigation.

Lawmakers of the opposition Democratic Party boycotted Yoon’s first budget speech to parliament Tuesday. Yoon discussed the details of the $445 billion proposal for 2023. Yoon’s Conservative administration will need opposition support in order to fund the spending for post-COVID-19 recovery and a firmer response to North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats, with a budget deadline on December 2.

In his remarks, Yoon called for the passage of the budget proposal with bipartisan support in order to ease the economic hardship faced by households in the country while improving livelihood.

“In order to overcome the grave economic and security situation, there can be no divide between the ruling and opposition parties,” said Yoon, adding that he needs the cooperation of parliament.

The boycott by the lawmakers, which hold the majority in parliament, was in protest of an ongoing criminal investigation surrounding its leader Lee Jae-myung, with several of his former and current associates arrested on charges that they received over 800 million won in illegal political contributions to aid Lee’s presidential campaign last year. Prosecutors raided the party’s headquarters Monday as part of the probe.

Lee has denied any wrongdoing, while Yoon’s office said it has no involvement in any criminal investigations.

Democrats have accused Yoon of ordering an investigation to suppress the opposition and demanded an apology while threatening to boycott his speech. Yoon refused at the time, saying that such conditions are unprecedented.

Over the weekend, the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for a former defense minister and a former coast guard chief who are implicated in the death of a South Korean fisheries official who was shot and killed by North Korean border guards.

The court issued the warrant citing the risks that the two former officials may flee the country or destroy the evidence. The decision follows the arrest warrants filed by prosecutors Tuesday last week and also follows the investigation by the government that showed the previously unreleased details about the final moments of fisheries official Lee Dae-jin.