Tension was high at the National Assembly as rival parties prepare to deal with the anticipated request by the prosecution for the arrest of main opposition floor leader Park Jie-won on Monday over his alleged acceptance of bribes.

The arrest motion follows the veteran Democratic United Party lawmaker’s three consecutive refusals to appear for questioning by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. Park is suspected of taking bribes from ailing savings banks.

The ruling Saenuri Party seemed determined to vote through a motion that would allow Park’s arrest in the Assembly.

“The DUP members have double standards by pledging to give up their privileges as lawmakers while floor leader Park Jie-won refuses to answer to the prosecutors’ summons,” said Saenuri Rep. Kim Hoe-sun.

The DUP was, on the other hand, opposed to putting the arrest motion to a vote, and criticized the Saenuri Party for “plotting.”

“What is the motive behind their attempt to create an unprecedented case of seeking to arrest an opposition floor leader during the working session just months head of the presidential election? Is a person, who is smiling after colluding with the prosecution to harm the opponent, worthy of becoming the president of Korea?” DUP spokeswoman Lee Un-ju said Sunday, apparently referring to the Saenuri presidential frontrunner Park Geun-hye.

However, both parties refrained from making official positions on the anticipated vote over the weekend, mindful of the potential consequences.

For the Saenuri Party, the arrest of Park would likely prompt criticism for its inconsistency, following the parliamentary veto on July 11 of the arrest for its member Rep. Chung Doo-un over bribery.

For the DUP, refusing Park’s arrest could result in public condemnation of the lawmakers’ failure to live up to their reform pledges.

Park’s arrest would cost the DUP one of its key figures, who has the strong regional backing of the politically-influential Jeolla Province.

The prosecution is expected to seek Park’s arrest with the court on Monday. The court will then be submitting the arrest motion to the Assembly around Wednesday to be voted on within 72 hours. The extraordinary session ends on Friday.

The Saenuri Party holds 149 seats in the Assembly, while the DUP has 127, the Unified Progressive Party 13, the Advanced Unification Party five, and independents six. The Saenuri Party has ordered its members to refrain from going on overseas trips to secure the votes.

Some DUP members, burdened by the potential aftermath of a veto, are also reportedly proposing delaying the vote through a filibuster, and for Park to appear for a prosecution summons during a non-working session, according to party sources.

Under the National Assembly Act, the arrest of incumbent lawmakers during a working session must receive approval from a majority of lawmakers.

Chung Doo-un, who faced internal calls to resign after the contentious parliamentary rejection of his arrest, contended that he was willing to comply with the prosecution’s investigation but that the current law obligating consent by fellow lawmakers was unreasonable.

Upon the commencement of the 19th parliament in May, major parties vowed to give up their privileges such as in their retirement pension and immunity from detention.

The Saenuri Party’s Rep. Kim Do-eup, a member of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said last week he would push to revise the relevant clauses to enable voluntary appearances by lawmakers to attend court questioning for his or her arrest.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)