Democratic Party Calls for Additional Arrest Warrant for Kim Geon-hee

As the expiration of Kim Geon-hee's detention period approaches on October 31, the Democratic Party is urging the Supreme Court to issue an additional arrest warrant for her.

On October 21, Park Sung-jun, the party's chief spokesperson, stated in a written briefing, "There are growing public concerns and doubts that Kim Geon-hee may be released due to the expiration of her detention period. We strongly urge the Supreme Court to make a swift and strict judgment in accordance with the law and principles, and to make a responsible decision that aligns with public common sense and expectations."

Currently, Kim is undergoing detention trials related to three major allegations: involvement in stock manipulation at Deutsche Motors, receiving free public opinion polling from Myung Tae-kyun, and accepting luxury bags from the Unification Church while interfering in internal party elections.

The second trial's verdict was issued on April 28, but the Supreme Court postponed the ruling after referring the case to a full bench on July 24 to examine the allegations regarding the Myung Tae-kyun polling. The full bench decided to continue the hearing on October 22, following a session on September 29, making it virtually impossible to issue a ruling before the detention expiration date of October 31.

In response, the special prosecutor's team submitted a request on October 15 to the Supreme Court panel handling the appeal of the "bribery in public office" case to issue an additional arrest warrant to prevent Kim's release.

Park emphasized, "The allegations against Kim Geon-hee are clear. Even if the detention period for the ongoing case expires, if the legal requirements are met for a separate case, an additional arrest warrant can be issued."

Members of the ruling party and key figures within the party have also launched a full-scale offensive against the Supreme Court and Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae.

Former Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae stated on his Facebook page, "Politics is about timing. If Kim Geon-hee is released, there will be strong criticism asking, 'What did the Democratic Party do without impeaching Cho Hee-dae?' There are sufficient reasons and justification for the impeachment of Cho Hee-dae, and public sentiment is high. Now is the best time to decisively move forward with the impeachment decision against Cho Hee-dae."

Park Beom-gye, a Democratic Party lawmaker and former judge, also remarked, "Issuing an additional arrest warrant related to the 'bribery in public office' case as requested by the special prosecutor is a natural and customary practice that all courts should follow. We need to observe whether the referral to the full bench was intended to facilitate Kim Geon-hee's release."