Motion to Arrest Kwon Seong-dong Reported to National Assembly Plenary Session; Vote Expected on the 11th

Passed if a majority of attending members are present and a majority of those present vote in favor; likely to pass with the ruling party's initiative

Rep. Kwon Seong-dong, for whom an arrest warrant has been requested, attends the opening ceremony of the National Assembly (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Hwang Kwang-mo = Rep. Kwon Seong-dong of the People Power Party listens to the opening address by the Speaker of the National Assembly with a stern expression at the opening ceremony of the 429th regular session of the National Assembly held at the National Assembly on the 1st. 2025.9.1 hkmpooh@yna.co.kr

A motion to arrest Rep. Kwon Seong-dong of the People Power Party, for whom an arrest warrant has been requested on charges of receiving illegal political funds from the Unification Church, was reported to the National Assembly on the 9th.

The Director of the National Assembly's Secretariat stated at the plenary session that day, "As a reported item, a motion to arrest National Assembly member Kwon Seong-dong was submitted by the government on September 1st."

Under the principle of parliamentary immunity, incumbent National Assembly members are protected from arrest during a parliamentary session, and an arrest motion must pass the National Assembly's plenary session for a suspect interrogation before arrest (warrant examination) to be held by the court.

According to the National Assembly Act, the Speaker of the National Assembly must report a request for the arrest of a member to the plenary session that convenes for the first time after receiving the request.

The motion to arrest Rep. Kwon was submitted to the National Assembly on the 1st after being approved by the President following its passage through the Ministry of Justice. Although the first plenary session of the regular session was held on the morning of the same day, the motion to arrest was submitted to the National Assembly after the plenary session adjourned.

As a result, the motion to arrest was reported at the plenary session held today, and the ruling and opposition parties are expected to discuss the voting schedule.

The motion to arrest must be put to a vote between 24 hours and 72 hours after it is reported to the plenary session; if this deadline is missed, it will be presented and voted on at the next plenary session.

Given the consensus between the ruling and opposition parties to avoid a vote on the day of the People Power Party's negotiation group leader's representative speech (the 10th), out of political courtesy, the possibility of a vote on the 11th is considered high.

A source from the floor leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea told Yonhap News, "We also need to process the amendments to the three special prosecutor bills, so we are pushing for a plenary session on the 11th, and the vote on the arrest motion will also take place then."

The motion to arrest is passed if a majority of the total number of members are present and a majority of those present vote in favor.

If passed, a date for the warrant examination will be set, and if rejected, the court will dismiss the warrant without an examination.

As the Democratic Party of Korea, the largest ruling party, holds a majority of seats in the National Assembly, the motion to arrest Rep. Kwon is likely to pass with the ruling party's initiative.