The National Assembly on Thursday approved a motion granting permission for the potential arrest of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung. In Thursday’s plenary session, the tally stood at 149 in favor to 136 opposed, with 6 abstentions and 4 invalid votes. Of the 298 members of the National Assembly, 295 participated in the vote. The motion signifies a notable turn of events as at least 31 lawmakers from Lee’s own Democratic Party (DP) voted for the motion. The approval will result in a court hearing to evaluate the prosecution’s plea for an arrest warrant for Lee.

Lee’s position has been complicated by his ongoing hunger strike since Aug. 31st, protesting President Yoon Suk-yeol’s governance. His recent hospitalization raises questions about his attendance at the impending hearing. The prosecution claims that Lee, during his tenure as the mayor of Seongnam, provided undue benefits to a private developer, leading to a breach of trust worth about $15 million (20 billion won). Additionally, they suspect Lee solicited the Ssangbangwool Group to illicitly send $8 million to North Korea during his time as Gyeonggi Province governor to advance a joint initiative.