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| ▲ Supporters of Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, clash with police in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Sept. 21, 2023, as they attempt to march toward the party's headquarters as part of their protest against the National Assembly's passage of an arrest motion against Lee. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Protesters chant slogans outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Sept. 21, 2023, in protest of the parliament's passage of an arrest motion against Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Exit 6 of the National Assembly subway station is shuttered to prevent protesters from entering the parliament's grounds on Sept. 21, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Supporters of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, react to the National Assembly's vote to pass an arrest motion against him outside the parliament's grounds in western Seoul on Sept. 21, 2023. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) arrest motion-protest
(LEAD) Opposition leader's supporters protest approval of arrest motion
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES with more details throughout; ADDS photos)
SEOUL, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- Supporters of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung staged protests near the National Assembly in western Seoul on Thursday following the parliament's passage of an arrest motion against him.
The National Assembly voted to approve the motion seeking parliamentary consent to the potential arrest of Lee, the leader of the Democratic Party (DP), on corruption charges.
Before the vote, a crowd of over 4,000 supporters, by police estimates, assembled near the National Assembly subway station, urging lawmakers to reject the arrest motion.
The police controlled the main entrance to the National Assembly to prevent protesters from entering the premises.
They closed off Exits 1 and 6 of the subway station after the vote, as protesters attempted to enter the parliament's grounds using the exits.
Some of the protestors tried to lift a closed security shutter at the station, and the police arrested one of them on charges of hitting a police officer who was trying to stop the person from pulling on the shutter.
Police deployed some 3,700 personnel around Yeouido district, where the National Assembly and main political parties' headquarters are located.
Later in the evening, up to 200 protesters, by police estimates, staged a protest outside the DP's headquarters, while some 400 people held a rally in front of the ruling People Power Party's office.
The result came as a surprise as the motion needed at least 148 votes in favor to pass while Lee's DP has 168 lawmakers in the 298-member National Assembly.
It means that dozens of DP lawmakers voted in favor of the potential arrest of their party leader.
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