President Park Geun-hye signed a request Monday for parliamentary consent to arrest a leftist lawmaker accused of plotting to overthrow South Korea's government in a daring scheme suspected of links to North Korea.

The motion for the arrest of Rep. Lee Seok-ki of the Unified Progressive Party was sent to the National Assembly for approval shortly after Park's signing. Parliamentary consent is required to arrest him because lawmakers are immune from detention while the parliament is in session.

A majority approval is necessary for the motion's passage.

Prosecutors are seeking to arrest Lee on charges of organizing an underground entity, called the "Revolutionary Organization," or RO, with other UPP members and conspiring to subvert the government, including destroying major infrastructure facilities. Lee, who had previously been jailed for pro-North Korea activities, was elected to the National Assembly on a proportional representation ticket in last year's general elections.

Lee's party has denounced the investigation as a fabrication aimed at diverting public attention from allegations that the National Intelligence Service attempted to influence last year's presidential election. (Yonhap News)